Stability
by NarcissisticRiceBall
Summary: It's nothing personal, it's just my job. How Rude met Reno but is not cliche in that it has a slight twist that most others don't. Edited grammar and spelling, AGAIN. BTW not shonen ai or yaoi
1. Mission

"Welcome

"_Welcome. This is the final portion of your exam. Everybody, go to the rooftop, your transport is there. You will be debriefed upon arrival."_

Everybody in the small room stared at the small black box at the center of the table. It was dead silent until one of the people in the room stood up and stretched.

"Don't I feel loved? I get told what to do by a box."

He had bright red hair kept out of his face by a pair of goggles perched on his head. With a sly grin, he looked over at the others.

"Let's go…So, you're the tall, silent one, aren't ya?"

The sarcasm was more or less ignored, not to mention, he had to look upwards to even make eye contact with Rude, who wondered how old he was. However, he remained silent just like the rest of the room. This caused him to cross his arms and huff in annoyance.

"Wow, I've had better conversations with a wall than you people."

"We're on a mission. Could you just shut up?"

Somebody else stood up while slamming his palm down on the table. He was in his early to mid twenties and was well built. He flippantly tossed his short brown hair and straightened his suit.

"Technically, we're not on mission yet. Besides, what's the sin for talking?"

The redhead shrugged as he was shoved to the side. He waited for the others to leave before exiting the room himself. Altogether, that made seven of them. Rude had seen and even met the others already from the academy, but the redhead was a mystery. He recalled never seeing a person like that in the school. The red headed Turk trainee smirked as he walked, but kept his eye trained forward.

"So, ya tense?"

Rude nodded his head once at the inquiry. They were all on the last leg of the test to determine if they were capable of field duty in the Turks. They were elite task force employed by one of the fastest growing companies in the world. It took years of training, then internship, and then the final exam to become one. There was a lot of pressure and it stood to reason people would be tense.

"So, what d'ya think their gonna make us do?"

Despite the tension in the air, the redhead continued to chatter away. They finally reached the roof of the building where a large aircraft waited for the passengers. Ignoring the roar of the engine, all seven boarded. The carrier was spacious enough and everybody was able to site comfortably.

"Only a short while longer and we'll find out what you people are made of."

Suddenly, an eighth person boarded and he cut an imposing figure. Everybody recognized him as Tseng, field leader of the Turks, second only to the commanding head, Veld. Ebony hair was pulled up neatly into a ponytail and no strands were out of place.

"We have a little bit of a trip, so I'm going to go over your profiles."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Tseng managed to pull out a decent stack of plain folders.

"Let's see…Victoria Gables."

A young woman stood and smartly saluted. She was fairly short and had shoulder length, dull brown hair. Though she stood at attention, there was a thick aura of nervous tension oozing off her. Tseng nodded to her and motioned for her to sit down.

"Ranked fourth in your class. Specialty is technology, but are no slouch with a staff. Fairly proficient in magic. Defensive materia. Very good…Next, Todd…Gables. Related?"

"Yes sir, twins."

"I see."

He looked over at the young man standing. The others recognized him as the one who snapped at the redhead earlier.

While their was a definite similarity between the two, Todd seemed to have gotten the better deal from the gene pool. Unlike his sister, who appeared startling plain, Todd had shiny brown hair and one of those rugged good looks type of face. He stood with confidence and sat just as well.

"Top of your class with a specialty in swords. Excellent proficiency with all type of materia. Exceptional student."

There was a smug grin on his face as he glanced at his sister who just avoided eye contact and stared at the ground.

"Next, Rude."

The large man stood up quietly, nodded and sat back down. Having attention on him was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable. It always had.

"Ranked second…Interesting. A fist fighter. There hasn't been one of those for a while. Good with offensive magic particularly of the fire element."

Rude shifted his position uncomfortably as all eyes were on him. He did not need nor want the attention.

"So, tall, dark, and bald has a name."

The redhead smirked while he stared lazily ahead of him. Rude thought the young man could fall asleep right there. Something about the way he stared at him was unnerving. Bright aqua eyes were a rarity regardless of ethnicity and his seemed to see right through him. He became all the more uncomfortable as he noticed the odd stares the others were giving them. The redhead smirked some more before averting his gaze and looking at Tseng. He happily raised his arm.

"Hey, boss-person, can I guess what mine says?"

"Amuse me."

The occupants stared in shock at the blatant disregard for any proper decorum. They were even more shocked at Tseng's reaction. They were anticipating an angry bellow or even some sort of physical punishment, not the somewhat amused and exasperated expression. It went against their impressions to say the least.

"Name's Reno. No first, no last, just Reno. I might not look it, but I kick major ass no matter what weapon I'm using, but I like EMR's the best. I can use pretty much any materia but I'm the best with lightening and certain types of restorative."

He finished with a proud smirk and crossed his arms. While unorthodox, the self-introduction was quite fun to listen to. Not to mention, it drew all the attention to himself so it was no longer focused on Rude. He was very thankful for that. On the other hand, Tseng just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Thank you for gracing us with your eloquence. Moving on."

Reno shrugged and began letting his eyes wander. Actually, single eye. Rude wondered what happened to the young man. The redhead had bandages wrapped around his head and covering his left eye completely. A single length of bandage stretched across his face and under the other eye. His attention was side tracked, however, when Tseng seemed to complete the reports.

"…Ice elemental. So, now that I know who you are, you better know each other. The mission and your lives depend on it."

Rude glanced at the others as they began to eye each other nervously. Well, except for Reno who was still smirking in a lethargic manner and Todd who was confidently flashing a bright smile and quickly taking charge.

"So, do you think Barbie misses her little Ken?"

He turned his head around to face the redhead again. Reno was grinning wickedly while he kept an eye on him under a hooded lid. Rude felt a small smirk tug on the sides of his mouth.

"Thinkin' the same thing, huh? I'd take plain Jane over him."

What an odd person this Reno turned out to be. His manner and methods for treating the current situation was a complete opposite of everybody else. There was something off, but in the end, Rude decided that the redhead was different from them in a way he could not quite explain. At least, for now that is.

"Dude, stop staring."

Reno was still casually leaning against the ship's metallic hull. He matched the stare Rude had apparently been giving him, but with much more amusement. Suddenly, the aircraft seemed to slightly jerk before Rude felt the sensation of dropping altitude.

"We've landed. Now, the only things you are allowed to use are whatever you specialize in. This is to test your resourcefulness and ability to execute a simple task. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"

Everybody saluted and then exited the aircraft. They were standing in a small clearing in a rather dense forest. The others looked around and noticed Tseng remained in the aircraft. So, that meant they had to coordinate their own mission.

"The goal is for us to see how you handle things. However, there will be a Turk present just to kept things in line. Good luck and happy hunting."

The aircraft shut the doors and ascended high into the sky, leaving a group of rookies to their own devices.

"Right. The goal is to retrieve the data and apprehend the target. There are not many guards so it should be simple enough. I've done this multiple times during training. If everybody is willing, I would gladly take charge of this mission."

Rude saw Victoria roll her eyes and silently sigh. The others were probably thinking the same thing, but still, it was better than them having to do it. More leadership, more responsibility. So, the agreement was unanimous except for one, who was a little less eager to agree.

"Yeah, no objection here, but…internship training don't make you a professional."

Todd remained calm even though it was obvious it irritated him. Rude gauged his reaction carefully and came to the conclusion that Todd was not used to being spoken to in such a manner as that.

"I'll always be more of a professional than you."

He glared menacingly at Reno, expecting him to back down or cower, but instead, the redhead began to laugh as if Todd had told him the funniest joke and only he got the punchline. It was slightly awkward and unnerving. Nothing good could come of their situation if one of them were to start losing it now. However, he quickly collected himself and smirked at Todd.

"That right? Well then, lead the way. I await your commands."

He made a mock gesture of bowing while grinning like a mad man. Rude was actually glad to see Todd look so disoriented. He quickly gathered his thoughts though and attempted to regain order.

"Now that that's settled. Head out."

Everybody followed the leader and even the young redhead followed, but not before winking and flashing a sly grin towards Victoria. A light tinge of pink graced her cheeks. Rude also filed away that Reno was most likely a womanizer. He shook his head and brought up the rear.

After walking silently through the forest a while, they reached a riverside warehouse. Before going any further, the small group hid behind an outcropping of rocks and huddled together.

"Right. Victoria, Trista, Reno, go scout around the area and report what you find."

"Alright, I get to go with the good lookin' ones."

He grinned at Victoria who blushed again and Trista, a stocky, yet full figured, intimidating woman, shook her head. They quietly sprinted off leaving the rest behind to formulate a strategy.

"The best plan will probably be to split up into two groups. Corner him and grab him, easy as that."

"You sure that's good enough? I've always heard they throw some kind of curve ball during these things."

The man who spoke was probably the oldest in the group. It would be no surprise if he was already thirty.

"Scott, right? No worries. It won't be anything we can't handle."

"How about savin' it until after we get through this?"

The trio of scouts returned and joined the group. The girls were breathing deeper than usual, but Reno did not appear to be fazed by the run at all.

"Seems there are a few more guards than expected."

"Define a 'few' more."

"As in there's twice as many guards…at least. There could be more inside."

Todd eyed his sister before rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Alright. We'll try and sneak in. We'll divide into two groups. It will be easier to avoid detection. Alright, Vic, you, Reno, and Rude go around back. I'll go with the rest on the other side. Got it?"

"No."

The redhead stared blankly at the stand-in leader. Todd looked like he was about ready to smack him before releasing an exasperated sigh.

"What don't you get?"

"What do we do when we get inside? It's not just an infiltration. We gotta have a plan for inside too."

Todd began to blush. Rude had to hand it to Reno. He was doing a fine job irritating the hell out of Todd, and making a good point.

"We should get inside and scout the inside from our respective positions. Then, we can determine the best course of action. Texting will work fine."

Everybody was fairly surprised, including her brother, when Victoria proposed her plan of action. However, it was evident that Todd did not like being upstaged by his sister. He shot her an evil glare causing her to look away.

"Just a suggestion…"

"We are timed here…We'll get inside, look around, but be ready to act immediately. Alright, let's go."

They split into the two groups and trekked along the landscape until they were able to get to the back of the building. For the most part, nobody seemed to be noticed. The few guards they could not sneak by, Rude was easily able to sneak behind, cover their mouth and effectively snap their necks like twigs.

"Alrighty, we're in."

The threesome managed to quietly move inside and crouch behind a large stack of wooden boxes. Victoria quickly scanned the boxes and whispered to the others.

"These are the weapons…Look, over there!"

She nodded her head towards a second level catwalk. Standing and talking with some other men was their target. He was the typical middle-aged businessman. He was flanked by four guards.

"Somethin's off."

Victoria and Rude turned to look at their companion. Reno still looked lazy as ever, but his eye was quickly flicking back and forth as he scanned the area. The female of the group pulled out her PHS, flipped it open and took a video feed with the camera function. She directed it from one end and slowly rotated it across the room.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Reno stopped scanning the area to stare at Victoria and her PHS screen. She tilted her PHS so the other two could see the video.

"Clever. Ya get to see the room without havin' to be seen."

Victoria seemed to blush at the compliment, but it was quickly pushed to the side as she gradually became more nervous. She began to gnaw on her bottom lip.

"You're right…It is strange. Why aren't there more guards around?"

Rude also took a moment to scan the area. There was a definite lack in security and that was enough to put him on edge. Even if he thought he would be safe, somebody going against ShinRa should have at least a few more guards around.

"I'll text Todd."

Her fingers quickly glided over the keypad. She sent the message and waited for a response. In a moment, a light went off. Rude and Reno crowded around to read the response.

"4get it. Careless. Move 4 surprise."

Reno snorted when he finished reading the note.

"Chump might be careless, but we can't be careless either…Somethin's gonna go wrong…He doesn't have much faith in you, does he?"

Victoria shook her head.

"But he has the right…I screw up a lot."

"Join the club, Girlie."

He gave her a flashy smirk and went back to studying the room's layout. Victoria looked at Rude.

"What do you think?"

"Layout could pose a problem."

Reno whipped his head around to stare in exaggerated astonishment at Rude.

"He speaks! And he makes a point…Heh, keep sharp, we'll let the hot shot do what he wants, but be on guard."

"You would have been a better leader."

Reno stared at her questioningly. Rude nodded in agreement. The redhead shrugged carelessly.

"Maybe…Hard to tell in this situation…Oh look, the evil male version of you is movin' in."

Sure enough, Todd and his group were slowly making their way to the center of the room. Rude glanced at Reno who did not seem to like their choice in action. However, they too advanced, if only to be close by in case something went wrong.

Todd motioned towards the older trainee who nodded and pulled out a few small throwing knives. With an artful flick of his wrist, the blades went soaring. That simple motion was more than enough for all hell to break loose.

Two of the guards fell to the blades causing their target to remain confident. That was not a good sign. Reno cursed under his breath when all the guards from outside entered and a few more appeared on the catwalk.

"Hey, look Todd, it's a trap!"

Reno's sarcasm did nothing to help the now frazzled leader. They were, for the most part, in the worst possible position. On instinct, they grouped together with their back against each other.

"Good job…Very impressive for a bunch of wannabes."

Like all good, arrogant businessmen, this fellow took a moment to congratulate himself. Rude really hated those kind of people. He glanced down to his side at the redhead. He was incredibly calm despite the situation. People might assume Rude was also unnaturally calm, but he knew he was panicked like the others on the inside. But Reno, it was clear he was simply calm. His muscles were tense and his bright aqua eye kept staring at their captor. It was the type of calm someone has when he knows he is the superior.

"You're probably all proud that you sneaked in and took out a few of my guards. But guess what? I knew you'd be coming so I prepared this surprise. Not even you're superiors were aware of this."

"They are now."

The businessman glared at Reno who pulled out an open PHS. Sometime between seeing Todd and moving in, he dialed headquarters. He smirked smugly as he folded the PHS and put it in his pocket.

"Gotta give ya credit for figuring it out. Don't ya feel special? Ya managed to trap a bunch of greenhorn rookies. There's a real feather for your cap."

Apparently, Reno had a knack for irritating people other than Todd. The others looked at Reno with a mixture of respect, shock, and confusion. The businessman grew red in the face but was unable to speak. The redhead kept going.

"Hate to break it to ya, but you're the one who's gonna get played. Heh, I can be quite a shock."

His grin grew larger when he suddenly gave off a pale green glow and summoned the energy from a materia. Suddenly, a bright light flooded the warehouse as a massive surge of electricity flowed through the metal catwalk. The people on the top level collapsed completely stunned.

"Behind the boxes, now!"

The moment their enemy was distracted was when the Turk trainees sprinted for the boxes at the rear of the building. They crouched behind the boxes while they decided on a game plan.

"So, what do we do now, Leader?"

Reno stared at Todd smugly causing the other to twitch nervously and glare daggers.

"Right, we have to grab him before he gets away. Charge the enemy and then grab him."

"How? They got guns, we pretty much don't...except for the gunslinger."

Victoria pointed to another young man who pulled out two handguns but looked increasingly nervous.

"Just shut up, Vic! Right, some can split up and-"

"Bad idea, Fabio. I don't think anybody wants to die tonight."

Rude could not quite place what it was, but there was a definite shift of behavior in Reno. While not changing in expression or appearance, he gave off a more confident air rather than the nervous tension threatening to suffocate them all. However, this also did not help the already frayed nerves of Todd who immediately snapped at him.

"What do you propose then?!"

"Thought you'd never ask…You, guy with the guns."

"Rusty."

"Right. Stay behind here and give cover fire…Old guy with knives, keep people away from redox guy."

"Scott…And I'm not that old."

"Sorry. The Amazon and the model, cover the exits. Nobody in, nobody out."

Both Todd and the woman, Trista, glared at Reno who held his hands up defensively.

"Sheesh, I'll learn your names later or somethin'. You two, help me out here. I'm gonna go nab the guy and…gently convince him to surrender."

Everybody agreed with a nod of the head and prepared to attack. Everybody gripped their weapons tightly and took slow and even deep breaths. Victoria moved to stand by Reno's left while Rude stood to the right.

"Ready, set, and go!"

They took off in a flash. They may not have been the professionals yet, but they were still highly trained and lethal.

When they made their move, Rude was surprised at Reno's speed. The moment he initiated the attack, Reno sprinted for the stairs leading to where the stunned businessman was beginning to come around. Rude and Victoria did their best to keep up. They watched as Reno glided up the stairs and skillfully maneuvered around bodies and incoming attacks. Anything not in his immediate vicinity was ignored. The fist set of guards were also regaining consciousness and many were already up with guns drawn. Reno left most of them for Rude and Victoria to take out. He apparently had enough trust in them to keep the guards away and keep them from shooting him.

Not about to let anybody down tonight, they did just that. Rude quickly took down one with a well-placed punch while Victoria spun her staff around cracking skulls in the process. Rudelooked around to find Reno and was impressed when he saw him.

"Please, don't do anything!"

"Lucky for you we're ordered to bring ya in alive."

Reno twirled a short stick while he prowled dangerously close to the cornered businessman. Rude recognized the weapon as an electrified night stick many called an EMR. He found it odd how Reno would use it as a weapon. He always assumed such a thing was reserved as a passive aggressive tool used by night guards. Another oddity to add to a rapidly growing list.

"Whatcha lookin' so happy for? Just because ya have to be alive doesn't mean I can't hurt ya."

The EMR crackled as blue electricity sparked the entire length. He raised his arm and brought it down swiftly. Rude was surprised, once more, as the EMR hovered over the man but never touched him. The businessman promptly passed out.

"Guy's can stop now, I've got your boss!"

He happily waved to down below where the few guards left stopped in their tracks and dropped their weapons. It was a great relief for all when the skirmish ended. Reno stretched lazily and leaned on the catwalk's railing.

"Hey, Mr. Leader, aren't ya gonna have somebody pick us up?"

He called down to Todd who was currently tying up a few of the guards. He growled in response but pulled out his PHS nonetheless and dialed Headquarters.

"Yes, sir. Mission status: complete. No injuries. Target successfully apprehended…Yes, sir."

Todd hung up his PHS and looked around. Once again, he was in control of things.

"We are to remain here until Tseng arrives and instructs us."

Everybody in the room seemed to relax at that. Many finished restraining the guards and resting. Reno leaned heavily on the railing as he slowly lowered himself into a sitting position while keeping his right leg extended. Victoria walked over and knelt down beside him.

"Are you hurt?"

"What? No, just made an old injury I made kinda sore when I ran around. Nothin' big."

Rude walked up and sat down with them.

"Must be recent."

"Oh, what makes you say that, Mr. Clean?"

Rude softly snorted at being compared to a cleaning brand, but shook it off.

"You've been favoring it the whole time."

"Wow, observant, aren't ya?…It's always the quiet ones. Anyways, both of ya, good job in covering my weak points."

"No problem."

Victoria smiled shyly at Reno who just smirked.

"Tonight would be a really good night to get wasted."

Both looked at him oddly. Reno blinked back curiously.

"What? Don't all of you?"

"How old are you?"

Victoria stared at him incredulously. In all honesty, Rude was also curious as to his age. While he by no means looked childish, Reno was visibly younger than everybody else.

"Nineteen. Gonna be twenty kind of soon. See? I'm not too young!"

That was a bit of an unexpected answer. He would have guess at least a bit over twenty years of age. Even though there was no specific rule in regards to age limit, it was just uncommon to be under the age of twenty years. Actually, this would be the first time hearing about it.

"Seriously?! I'm twenty-five."

"Really, now? So, how old are ya big guy?"

"Twenty-four."

"Wow, what a bunch of old farts…Just kidding. Yeah, I guess I'm a little bit younger than most."

"Good work everyone!"

They were interrupted by a loud, commanding voice. Everybody recognized it as Tseng who stood tall and proud in the center of the room.

"Clean up will take it from here. Board the aircraft and we'll leave."

The Turk trainees saluted and began walking away.

Victoria and Rude stood up while Reno remained sitting. The larger man offered his hand and easily lifted him off the ground.

"Thanks."

He nodded in acknowledgment and the three followed the group out. Outside the building, the aircraft was on the ground waiting for its passengers.

After boarding, they all found a place to sit and enjoyed the silence on their trip home. Only at one point did anybody talk and that was Tseng giving directions.

"You've successfully completed the mission. Upon arrival you are dismissed to do as you please but I suggest getting some sleep. Tomorrow morning at 500 hours sharp, you will report to the training room. That is all."

"Sir!"

They finally landed down at the ShinRa building and got off. Everybody was physically and emotionally drained now that the adrenaline rush was wearing off. Without a whole lot of pep in their step, the Turk trainees slowly made their way to the trainee dorms.

"Why five in the morning? I don't wanna."

Reno whined as he walked back with Rude and Victoria. However, when they stopped, he kept going.

"Where are you going?"

Victoria watched him wander away. He waved over his shoulder.

"Gotta do something. See ya tomorrow!"

They watched him leave and Victoria sighed.

"What an oddball…Cute to boot though. Night, Rude."

"Night."

He had to agree with her, at least on the "oddball" part. Stepping into his temporary room, he found the gunslinger, Rusty, lying on his bed. He was twirling one of his guns deftly as Rude walked by and sat down on his own bed.

"Pretty exciting, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Great, I got the conversationalist. C'mon, loosen up a little…I know, what about that redhead, Reno?"

"What about him?"

Rude opened a small closet and made sure there was another suit. Rusty sat up and looked over.

"Kid's crazy, no? Haha, I loved that expression Todd made each time Reno showed him up one. Makes you wonder though, how come a kid like that was so with it?"

"He's different."

The larger man was not really interesting in the gossiping. He decided it was better to leave it. He would get answers eventually, if they both stayed around long enough.

"Different is a nice way of putting it. Ah well, kid's fun though. See you in the morning."

With much relief for Rude, Rusty tucked his gun under his pillow and threw the covers over himself. Rude quietly flipped off the light switch and got into his own bed. It did not take long before he was asleep.

It also did not take long before an alarm clock went off. Rude quickly pressed the "off" button and sat up. The clock read 4:30 a.m. He stoically managed to get up and get ready. By the time he took a shower, got dressed, and entered the training room, his wristwatch read 4:50 a.m.

Glancing around the room, he found only a few people already present. Victoria was standing to the side leaning against the wall and Trista was on the floor stretching. The door to the room opened and the three remaining males walked in. Actually, Rude noticed Reno was missing. However, he soon realized he was already in the room.

Reno was in a corner sleeping in a chair. The seat was balancing on the back two legs while his feet were propped up on a small card table.

"You don't think he slept there, do you?"

Rusty walked by Rude and over to Victoria.

"How long has he been there?"

She shrugged at his question.

"Don't know, he was there before any of us got here."

Indeed, it really did appear that he had slept the night away in the chair. His uniform was wrinkled, the shirt un-tucked and a few top buttons undone. There was no tie and he did not bother to zip his jacket. Then again, Rude recalled that he had been looking like that since all of yesterday.

"I want to know how he can keep hair like that."

Trista looked up from where she was stretching. The others hand not really thought about it. Reno's hair color was fairly unique and his hairstyle was just as unique. For starters, it was long. It draped over the back of the chair. It was also cropped differently on the top. His bangs were longer and hung over his face. They reached to about his chin and all the hair kept that length. It formed one layer with the longer strands under it.

"Single layer with that length hair? Personally, a mullet like that is a fashion disaster. For him…Well, you're right about him being cute. He wears it well..."

The two girls softly giggled while all the men looked at each other in question. Todd walked up beside his sister. He glared contemptuously at the dozing Reno.

"Jealous, brother?"

"Shut up, Vic."

Apparently he was still sore about last night. The others eyed him warily to make sure he did not try anything. But, before anybody could even think about doing anything, the door opened again and Tseng walked in. Everybody stood straight and saluted. Following behind was none other than the commander himself, Veld.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, sir!"

They all saluted and practically held their breaths. This was the moment they had been waiting for.

The commander stood more impressively than Tseng. He was a legend among Turks and the prime model all of them strove to be. He looked each of them in the eye before speaking.

"Congratulations. Upon success of your mission, you are now officially Turks. And as such, the next step is determining your partner. Any questions?"

"I have one, sir."

Trista raised her arm politely. Veld turned his attention towards the young woman.

"Yes?"

"We were informed that a Turk would be around in case of assistance, but there wasn't one."

"Ah yes. Last night was a bit of a surprise for us. Tseng?"

The Wutaiain man cleared his throat.

"It would appear there was an information leak. It is something we are working on and a good chance you will be working on it as well. As for the Turk assigned to you…"

Tseng and Veld began to look around looking for something. When his gaze fell on Reno in the corner, he continued.

"Ah, there he is, sir."

The field leader pointed to the corner where the redhead was sleeping. Veld followed his line of vision and smirked.

"To be a Turk, one must be prepared at all times. Your response time and reactions need to be working even during sleep."

As he spoke, Tseng reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a medium sized marble and aimed it at the sleeping redhead. Todd let out a small chuckle in anticipation. With impressive speed and accuracy, Tseng shot the marble at Reno's head.

They all expected to hear a marble whack against his head, but were more than surprised when something completely different occured.

Even though his back was facing them, Reno tilted his head to the side, dodging the marble, and then catching it as well. There was a collective gasp as they watched and finally realized something.

"Huh?…What the…What's with the marble?"

Reno seemed half awake as he began lazily examining it. As he did, he stood up and stretched.

"Thank you for joining us, Reno."

Tseng watched the redhead as he trundled over and rubbed the sleep from his eye.

"Sure…Hey, did ya throw this at me?"

He glanced sideways at Tseng who nodded his head once.

"Proving a point."

"Oh, you started?"

Reno finally seemed to acknowledge the other people's presence. Todd stared wide-eyed.

"No way…"

Rusty looked just as surprised and had a little less restraint.

"Holy crap, you're the professional?! You're already a Turk?!"

A huge smirk was plastered on Reno's face.

"You got it, yo."

* * *

**A/N:** So here's the final edited version. Going back through, I realized how poorly I wrote these beginning chapters. That is why I am on a mission to edit all the chapters. Not a whole lot changed, just rewrote some awkward sounding sentences, fixed some odd typos, and added a few more little details to make the narrative flow better. The only way I can console myself is that at least this means I've improved as I've written more of this story. Oh well, at least I'm improving and not getting worse. Anyways, hope those of you going back enjoy the less awkward version of the chapter while newcomers, I welcome you to my warped little world and hope you enjoyed reading!


	2. Sugar

**A/N:** Here is second chapter again. Looking back on this I can tell my writing was awful...Not that I claim it's better, but this isn't the greatest. Whatever the case, I fixed many of the grammar mistakes...though it was not so bad as the first. Other than that, not much has changed. This chapter moves things along and as a warning there is some mild, brief swearing.

I don't own FFVII

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Reno grinned smugly and made a "V" sign. Rude remained silent though he was just as surprised, but, in retrospect, that would explain why the redhead seemed so in control during the entire mission. It was beyond him how somebody young and that lazy could be a Turk.

"Been two years since I did what you guys did, yo…Though, last night was way more exciting than my mission."

Veld chuckled.

"Maybe for you it was boring."

The redhead tilted his head to the side trying to figure out what the commander was even talking about. Tseng ignored him and continued.

"Yes, Reno was the Turk we placed for security measures. However, I was informed that you all handled yourselves very well."

The commander then took over.

"Now that that's settled, you are free until 1800 hours."

"Wait, then why did we have to get up so early then?"

Tseng rolled his eyes and gently smacked him upside the head.

"To keep you from getting lazy."

"Too late, yo."

The whole while, the new Turks stared in shock. It was still surprising that Reno had been a Turk for two years and it was a shock that he talked like that to his superiors and that the superiors did not seem to care.

"Oh, right. Hey, Commander? Can I have it back now? There weren't any deaths, explosions or rabid chocobos, yo. You promised sir."

"I did, didn't I?"

Nobody could say that thy understood anything. They were just impressed that Reno even bothered to address him respectfully. There was more confusion when Tseng pulled an object from his jacket.

"Thanks."

The redhead began bouncing a small rubber ball.

"Anyways, you are all dismissed. Reno, we need to talk."

"Yes, sir."

Swallowing their questions, the newbie Turks saluted and began exiting the room leaving behind the three seasoned Turks.

"What. The. Hell."

Rusty summarized everything perfectly. The oldest Turk, Scott, nodded his head.

"Hard to believe that the kid's been doing this for a couple of years. Wonder if he gets away with those things because he's young?"

"Who, Reno?"

They turned around to face the new speaker. It was a woman in her late twenties. She was slender and quite tall.

"Nah, they just gave up trying to tell him otherwise. Boy moves to his own orchestral section. Ah, how rude of me. I'm Ryoko. And, I'm from Wutai and no, I'm not related to Tseng."

"Why is it, that everybody I meet from Wutai is really tall?"

She smirked at Rusty who was scratching his head.

"Certain region. Anyways, I heard about your little escapade last night…So, I take it you're the one Reno was talking about. Huh, you really do have that model kind of look. Glad to have somebody around who looks good."

Ryoko finally got a sight of Todd who looked like he did not know what he should say. She laughed, but quickly covered her mouth.

"I'm so sorry. Please, my apologies."

"No problem." It was not like he could get angry with a superior. Besides, right now, he was probably still depressed about last night. "So, Reno told you?"

"In a very creative way, yes. Took me about an hour to actually place events in a chronological order, but I got it. Said you and everybody did well."

"I doubt it…"

"Don't be down, kiddo. Everybody buckles under pressure and you had a lot of it. I agree with Reno, you did as best as your skills and…personality let you."

The woman laughed at Todd's expression. Even Victoria was giggling. Ryoko walked past and patted Todd on the shoulder.

"Reno may be the weirdest person you'll ever meet, but he knows what he's talking about more often than not. You all will do fine. Well, I best be off."

She walked down the hallway and waved to Reno as he passed her by.

"See ya later, Ryo…Whoa…awkward, yo."

Reno was watching everybody and in turn they were all watching him.

"Ryo wasn't kidding when she said she made a scene, yo."

He looked down at his watch and sagged his shoulders.

"Man, prime sleeping time is over…Shoot…Tseng says I can't get wasted either…Whatever, I'm gonna go run, yo. If any of you are tired, I suggest getting some sleep. Picking partners is a lot of work."

The redhead bounded off leaving behind a confused of group of people. Rusty put his arms behind his head and sighed.

"Turks are psychopaths…I'm going to go back to bed."

Many of the others followed suit leaving Rude and the twins.

"Hey, want to spar a little?"

Victoria looked surprised when she finally figured out her brother was talking to her.

"Uh, sure…See you around, Rude."

She waved as she walked off with her brother. Rude was now left to his own devices. He could not say he was tired, but he did not know what else to do. If he was already awake, there really was no reason to go back to sleep. He finally settled on exploring the building. He had only been to a few areas, and the ShinRa building was massive. It would be wise if he got a layout of the grounds.

Rude wandered the building aimlessly. There really was not all that much to see. If it was not a typical crammed office space, it was a creepy looking lab that he did not want to explore. As he wandered around, slowly making his way down the building, he went out a back door. Following the hallway, he came to another set of doors that let out to some sort of back area.

The weather was pleasant if not slightly cool from the early morning. He walked outside and saw a wide-open field. To the side was a dirt track field. Walking over to it, he noticed a figure sprinting full speed around it.

Reno was following the track around at an incredible speed. Rude wondered how many laps the redhead could pull off at that rate. Not having much else to do, the bald Turk walked over to the bleachers, sat down, and watched Reno run.

His hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail and his bangs were kept out of his face by the goggles. Rude chuckled to himself. He wondered if Reno lived his entire life in a ShinRa suit. He was slightly amused that the redhead was still in his formal suit sans the jacket, which was careless thrown on the ground.

"Odd, isn't it? He just runs in circles for as long as he can…"

Rude was startled when Tseng came up from behind and sat down beside him. He did not know whether he should salute or freak out that his boss was making idle chitchat, something that he was not particularly good at.

"Sir?"

"He always runs in circles…I'm not going to bite."

He watched the bald Turk with mild amusement. Rude was sitting with every muscle tense. This was just plain weird.

"I…"

"You really aren't the conversationalist…"

"Uh…Sorry…sir?"

"No need to be…It's actually a good change." He looked at Rude who stared back questioningly.

"I deal with Reno daily. Quiet people are a blessing."

They watched the redhead in silence. Rude had not the faintest idea what he should say or if he should say anything. It was still freaky having the boss right there.

After watching for a while longer, Reno seemed to finally notice the two spectators and waved. As he ran along the track he moved off it and ran straight for them.

"Whatcha guy's doin'?"

He was breathing heavily though it seemed more like slowing himself down. He actually did not seem to be too winded.

"Where do you store so much energy?"

"Dunno. I'm thinkin' about gettin' somethin' to eat, yo."

Tseng shook his head.

"You ate like what? Two hours ago?"

"I'm hungry. So sue me…Oh, hey…uh…bad manners…impolite…"

Rude was stunned into silence while Reno continually mumbled.

"Rude."

"Right, Rude, that's it, yo…So what's with the name?"

"What's with yours?"

"…Touché, yo. Still, Reno is better than Rude, so nya."

He spit his tongue out at Rude who was again stunned at his argument or lack thereof.

"Wanna get something to eat?"

The redhead apparently had no sense of keeping topic relative.

"Ya got nothin' better to do, yo."

"What makes you say that?"

"'Cause you're out here watching me. Either your bored out of your mind or ya just like stalkin' me or something…Hopefully the first one, but whatever."

"…"

Rude was not sure what to say, so he settled for nothing.

Besides, he figured Reno still had plenty to say.

"Yup, I'm right. So, ya wanna?"

"…Sure…"

"Good. Lemme get my stuff and get ready. Meet out front in 15 minutes, yo."

"Right…"

"Easy on the caffeine today."

"Tseng, how do you expect me to make it to 1800 hours?"

The second-in-command remained firm and calmly ignored the angry protests.

"You're wired enough as is. We can't have you hyper for tonight."

"So you'd rather I be a mindless zombie?"

"It would be an improvement."

"Whatever, yo…One of these days, that log jammed up your ass needs to come out."

"The day I can leave you alone, Reno."

"Never gonna happen, huh?"

"No."

Reno sighed and shrugged. Jumping down each level of the bleachers, he leaned over and grabbed his jacket from the ground.

"Whatever, yo. See ya in a bit."

He disappeared through the doors.

"Very brave, Rude. And I'm serious, keep caffeine away from him."

Tseng stood up and patted Rude on the shoulder. He watched the Wutaian Turk walk down the bleachers and leave him alone with his thoughts.

He wondered if all the Turks were as crazy as Reno. He figured no since none of the other Turks responded that way to Tseng. Even when talking with the Turk commander himself, Reno seemed so easy going, though granted, he did seem to show a little more politeness.

Standing up, he straightened his suit and made his way to the entrance.

"Hey, slowpoke."

When he reached the front of the building, Reno was already there. Glancing at his watch, he noticed how much time had elapsed.

"It's been 10 minutes."

"Really now? What can I say? I'm a fast person, yo."

It was apparent that the redhead was also a bit careless. The suit looked pretty much the same except it was a little less wrinkled and his hair was still very damp from washing. It hung limply over his face and Rude wondered how it did not bother him. That was one reason he opted for no hair.

"Where d'ya want to go?"

"Wherever is fine."

"…Can you make sentences longer than three or four words?"

"Maybe."

"The world may never know. Right, we'll go to this diner place. I know the lady who owns it, yo."

"Fine."

"Alright, let's go."

They walked around the streets talking or rather; Reno was talking while Rude simply listened.

"Ya wanna know the best part of this?"

He looked at Reno to let him know he was paying attention before the redhead continued.

"I totally just had a conversation with myself, yo."

"Er…Sorry."

"No prob. Just surprisin' you haven't told me to shut up yet, yo."

"I don't mind."

"Why?"

Rude thought about it a moment. He was not sure why. Maybe it was because he had an uncanny knack for drowning the redhead out, or he did not mind the seemingly endless flow of words.

"Just one of those inexplicable things, huh? Well, that's good, 'cause even if ya told me to shut up, I probably wouldn't, yo."

He smirked and finally motioned towards a small building tucked between two larger ones. They walked inside and were greeted by a perky young waitress.

"Hey Reno! Who's the new guy?"

"Exactly that. He's Rude, one of the new Turks, yo."

"Kind of cute, too. Table's already for ya!"

"Thanks, cutie."

Rude followed his companion to a table towards the back. They took their seat and soon, the same waitress came by with two menus.

"Congrats on the new job. Order anything ya want. Mama says it's on the house."

"…Thanks…"

"Hee hee. Strong, silent type, huh? Funny considering you're hanging out with this guy."

"Hey, hey, hey!"

She smiled playfully as she set the menus down. Reno looked over at Rude and grinned.

"They like me, yo. Big mama likes having the Turks around."

"Why?"

"Keeps trouble makers away…But I think it's because she feels proud she can scare the Turks, yo."

He was about to inquire some more about the subject when he was interrupted by a petite, not so "Big," middle-aged woman with hands on her hips.

"I scare you, do I?"

"You don't know how much, yo."

"Good. A little fear is healthy for you. So, how'd ya get roped into hanging with him?"

Reno pouted and crossed his arms.

"Sheesh, what's with you people?...Actually, he just agreed, yo."

"Really? Well, good for you."

Rude wondered to whom she was talking to, but did not have a chance to.

"So, what do you want?"

"Usual, yo."

"I'll try the same."

"Brave…Very brave, yo, ordering what I order blindly."

"I'll be surprised."

"I like your style. It'll be out in a few."

It could not have been that bad, at least he believed to be the case. Then again, there was that small nagging feeling that it could be. He was not completely sure yet, but he got the impression that the redhead sitting across from him was not easily predicted.

"So why did you agree to come with me?"

Reno stared questioningly at Rude while remaining perfectly neutral in his curiosity.

"Most people can't handle being around me for very long, yo. You don't seem to mind at all."

"Why should I?...Granted, you are weird."

"Been called worse, yo. You can't exactly call yourself normal either."

He raised an eyebrow questioningly. Reno smirked.

"'Cause ya hang out with me, yo!"

"Even your logic is weird."

He was amused nonetheless. Weird was not necessarily a bad thing. Besides, anybody that had been Turk at his age was not likely to be completely normal.

"Here ya go!"

The waitress brought the food and set down their meal. Now Rude realized why everybody warned him.

"Mama also gave ya the regular stuff…Said you'd probably need it. Enjoy!"

"Told ya you were brave, yo."

"Everything's…sugar…"

He stared at the food before him. The most prominent dish was the waffle. It was a chocolate chip Belgian waffle topped with powdered sugar, strawberry goop, and whip cream. The other dish was a bowl of oatmeal with melting wads of brown sugar and maple. Everything was topped off with a glass of chocolate milk.

"Yup. Great way to start the day, yo. Especially when a certain somebody is a total jerk."

Reno began happily eating his meal while Rude slowly took small bites. Even a single piece of the waffle was overwhelmingly sweet. He basically had to take a sip of his black coffee between each bite. He was thankful they were considerate enough to leave the oatmeal plain and bring other things like eggs.

"Bit on the sugary side for ya?"

"An understatement."

"Don't worry, I only eat breakfast this way, yo. For the other meals I eat-"

"A bag of salt?"

It would not have been surprising if Reno did eat a bag of salt or something equivalent to it. Reno blinked at Rude a few moments before smirking.

"For a guy who doesn't talk often, ya sure got a sense of humor, yo."

"I'm told it sucks."

"To each his own, I guess. Whatever, yo. It's the quiet ones ya gotta worry about. They notice things and are usually the psycho mass murderers…You aren't gonna kill me, are ya?"

Rude tried to decide whether Reno was joking or being serious. It was hard to tell. That mischievous expression could mean he was joking, but Rude observed the same expression during their life-or-death situation last night. Who knows if he took anything seriously?

"Not that I know of."

"Oh, good, yo. But if ya do, warn me in advance, 'kay?"

"I'll be sure to."

The redhead grinned and finished gulping down his chocolate milk.

"Ready to go?"

Rude nodded and was glad to not have to even see the platefuls of sugar. They walked out the dinger and in the street. Reno stretched.

"Pretty good, huh?"

"If I wasn't diabetic to begin with, I am now."

"So you enjoyed it, yo."

He found the conclusion amusing for some reason. Reno looked down each side of the street and cracked his neck casually.

"Now, how do I kill time? Got any ideas?...Oh, hold on a sec, yo."

There was a ringing noise as Reno searched his jacket pocket for the device. At long last he was able to answer his PHS.

"Yeah?...Tseng?...Why do I?...Because you said so?...Fine, fine, I'll be right there, yo."

Reno snorted as he put his PHS away.

"Gotta run. Sorry to leave like this, but our master calls. See ya!...Right, make sure you're at your best and hold nothin' back, yo."

Before Rude could even speak or make a gesture of any kind, the redhead was already sprinting through the morning crowd back to the main building. He was once again left to entertain himself. Looking around, Rude decided he might as well get back too. As he walked back through the crowds, Rude wondered what he needed to not hold back on.

Figuring it was pointless to wonder about it, Rude would just wait and find out later. He always did enjoy surprises. It was that welcome moment of when the status quo was upturned and life became a game of chance. Rude thought about the redhead who continually surprised him. That alone was enough for him to like Reno.

"Hey, Rude!"

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Rude failed to realize he was back at headquarters and Victoria had walked up to him

"Hm?"

"Want to spar a little? Todd quit early so I've nobody to train with."

"Sure."

"Okay, meet you up there."

She ran off to the training room while Rude silently made his way to his room to get changed. Quickly dressing into his training clothes he went to meet Victoria.

"Pretty crowded, huh?"

Victoria motioned to the others who were already warming up. Rude nodded his head in agreement. Most of the new Turks were present along with some other senior Turks.

"Rumor has it that tonight involves fighting of some kind. It's to choose partners right? I wonder who we're going to be fighting?"

Victoria wondered aloud while she stretched. She expertly twirled her staff and got into a ready position while Rude followed suit. Soon, they were both moving around the room and dodging each other's attacks. After a while of exchanging blows, the two new Turks decided to call it quits.

While both pulled their attacks, Victoria was still left nursing her shoulder and arm while Rude stoically kept from rubbing his shin that was not designed to be whacked by a big stick. Instead, he took deep breaths while holding his now sore solar plexus.

"That was fun or funny, I'm not sure which, yo."

They both turned to face the speaker even though they could tell who it was by the speech pattern. Reno was leaning casually against the wall smirking as usual.

"Reno, sir!"

"Sir?"

He looked around questioningly as though he were looking for somebody. He gaze then went back to Victoria and he pointed at himself.

"Me? Oh…right, I would be 'sir' to you, yo."

Rude's theory about Reno having no true sense of authority was proven quite true.

"Whatever. Call me whatever ya want…Well, I'll let ya know if ya shouldn't call me something, yo."

"Ryoko, ma'am?"

"No, sweetie, preferable not a woman's name, yo."

"She was talking about me, fool."

Ryoko walked up behind Reno and smacked Reno upside the head playfully. Even though he grinned, he still rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't' get too tired, kiddies. You got to have plenty of energy tonight…Oi, Reno."

"Oi, what?"

"I saw Tseng talking to you. Don't tell me you get to do it?"

"Okay, I won't tell ya that I get to do it, yo."

"You lucky sonuvagun."

Rude and Victoria listened curiously. They both wondered what it was that Reno got to do tonight. Whatever it was, it appeared to be something good, at least for Reno.

"Hey, who ya bettin' on? Trent's got the grid up, yo."

"Already? I know where my money's going."

"See ya guys later, yo."

The two Turks walked away leaving behind a confused and suspicious Rude and Victoria.

"Why does it seem like they're purposely being that vague?"

Rusty walked over having overheard their conversation.

"Ran into a couple of Turks who were watching us practice and they kept acting all smug."

The three, or rather two, continued to hypothesize about what was happening tonight. It was clearly bothering everybody and making them slightly uncomfortable. For some reason, smug higher ups and betting charts did not mix well.

"Are we going to die?...Hey, everybody's thinkin' it, I'm just saying it."

Rusty held his hands up defensively as everybody turned to glare at him. He slowly backed up until he was by the door.

"I'm going to see if I can find anything out. See ya guys around."

"I guess I'm going to call it quits. I'm going to eat something and take a nap. See you tonight."

Victoria grabbed her things and left. Soon after, the others followed leaving only a couple people left. Rude decided he was still full, or sick, from breakfast. Instead, he opted to take a nap before tonight's events. He slowly walked to his room and set his clock. Then, there was a knock on the door and Reno popped his head in. It was incredible that he managed to leave to do something and still manage to show up everywhere.

"Hey, ya seen that little gunslinger around?'

"Rusty? No."

"Sooo…It's hide and seek now, is it? 'Kay, talk to ya later!"

As quickly as he showed up, he was gone. Rude figured that Rusty did something stupid and now the other Turks were on his trail. Pushing it aside though, Rude finally made it to bed and fell asleep after attempting to find a position that did not make his stomach churn.

"Holy crap."

Rude was woken up when the door to the room opened and slammed shut. He opened one eye to find a very tired and distraught looking Rusty. He continued to pant heavily as he spoke.

"That Reno…Can run…fast…Crazy bastard…"

He fell forward onto his bed and lay perfectly still. Rude rolled his eyes and checked his clock. There were still a few hours until they were required to meet. He got up and leaned over Rusty's bed. His breathing was slow and even. Rude shook his head and set Rusty's alarm.

Yes, he could be a nice guy, but he could also be vindictive. He carefully positioned it so that the clock was right next to Rusty's ear and set the alarm volume to maximum.

Satisfied with his work, Rude got dressed in his suit and left the room. He walked through the hallways not really sure what he wanted to do for the time being.

"Rude, over here!"

He looked a little bit ahead and saw the twins and Trista. Victoria waved him over.

"We're going to go check out the lounge area and get a little something to eat. Want to come?"

He nodded his head in agreement. After eating pretty much nothing except sucrose product, Rude felt that real food would be a blessing.

"'Sup?"

They were greeted by Reno who was casually slumped into a large plush armchair. He was lazily watching the television screen though did not seem interested in it in the least.

"So you are eating a bag of salt."

He glanced up at Rude and then back at the bag he was eating from.

"Guess you're right, yo."

The redhead smirked as he licked off the large sea salt crystals from the chips before shoving the whole thing in his mouth.

"Ya guy's ready for tonight?"

"They don't even know what is happening tonight, Reno."

"Hey, we gave 'em plenty of hints, yo."

Everybody save Reno stood up and saluted when Tseng walked in the room. He looked at them with mild amusement.

"At ease. Unless stated otherwise, I'm here for the same reason as you."

"But it doesn't stay that way for very long."

Tseng eyed Reno who was still blankly staring at the television.

"What? You know I'm right, yo."

"…Indeed."

He shook his head and as he passed by Reno, he grabbed the bag of chips for himself. It earned a mean glare from Reno who remained in his spot.

"Must you be so lazy as not to even move from your spot?"

Tseng moved to a small bar and sat down much to the discomfort of the newbie Turks. It was odd having the boss sitting and casually talking.

"Somebody wouldn't let me near caffeine."

"Pouting is childish and unprofessional, Reno."

All heads turned to face Reno who was still in the same exact position.

"Then I'm childish and unprofessional, yo…Though it's your fault for hiring me."

A small smirk crept onto Tseng's usually stoic expression. He just shook his head as he munched calmly on the pilfered chips.

"Rude, you jerk!"

Rusty busted into the room looking disheveled. While Reno seemed to make a fashion statement of it, the other was just in disarray.

"I about had a heart attack and went deaf!"

"What did you do?"

"I'll tell you! After being tortured by that little red devil," He pointed angrily at Reno who flashed him a peace sign. "I planned on having a nice nap until tonight when my alarm blared right in my ear not even 30 minutes into sleep!"

The others chuckled at him while Rude calmly ignored him and sipped a glass of water. Rusty, completely ignoring Tseng, marched up to the bald Turk and balled a fist into his face.

"Don't ignore me! I'll-"

"Rusty."

He paused when he heard his name. Tseng was still munching quietly on the bag of chips. Rusty seemed to finally realize that his boss was not more than a foot away.

"Y-yes, sir?"

"I heard about the others' exploits. Reno, you should make up for what you did to poor Rusty."

A single azure eye peered over the back of the chair and gleamed wickedly.

"Sure thing, yo."

"T-that's okay, sir. Everything's fine."

"Too bad, yo."

The eye slowly disappeared until it was a back of a chair once again. Tseng stood up after wiping his hands on a small napkin.

"It's convenient you all are here. I will begin debriefing you about tonight."

"Told ya it doesn't last long."

Ignoring the commentary, Tseng walked over and stood at the room's center, which also happened to be right in front of the television. Reno growled in frustration but remained silent otherwise. The others moved attentively around him.

"As I'm sure many of you guessed, tonight does involve a fight. It is a long-standing tradition to find you partners through this method. In the Turks, you will come to rely fully on your partner. Safety in numbers if you will. Generally, two Turks are enough to get any job done."

Here, he paused a moment and looked around to make sure there were not any questions.

"You have been warned to be rested up because tonight's battle will by no means be quick. First, you will fight each other."

"Is it elimination?"

Todd looked briefly at his sister when she asked her question.

"No. It is merely for us to see how you fight people at your own level. Then, you will each fight one of the Turks needing a partner. Again, it is not elimination."

There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief or at least a silent one.

"Only one of the Turks, sir?"

Trista looked curiously at Tseng who nodded his head.

"The individual is well versed in all modes of combat. It will help narrow down strengths and weaknesses. Should one of you beat him, the next one will take his place."

"What happens if we beat him?"

It was clear that Todd had every intention of beating whoever he was pitted against.

"You'll be his partner."

Rude tilted his head in thought. Everybody was told to go all out. Therefore, if they wound up beating each other, it would stand to reason they could work together as well.

"Mind you, it's not always set in stone, but that will be discussed should it need to be. And again, I reiterate, pull nothing. This is the only way we can effectively determine your skills. However, there is no killing. Anything else goes…And yes, there will be medics."

"Can we use our weapons?"

Rusty had hope written all over his face. Being a gunslinger gave him an advantage and everybody knew it. Besides, even if it was not to kill, nobody wanted to get shot.

"Yes. However, ammunition is replaced with something less harmful."

Many people sighed in relief. Then again, pellets could be painful too.

"But be forewarned, while you may be able to use your weapons, as a Turk you need to be able to adapt. The Turk you will be fighting against will make sure you have a hell of a time. Now, on to the more mundane rules."

Rude listened with half an ear. Nobody was paying that much attention to it including Tseng. He let his mind wander and for how long, he was unsure. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was about a half hour before they were to meet. Rude wondered about the purpose of long lectures if nobody cared. Then again, he figured company policy was a boring thing.

"Can you tell us who the Turk is?"

The oldest Turk trainee, Scott, finally made his presence known. Tseng seemed to find something amusing about the question.

"I could, but what good would it do? He's not warming up if you're thinking of spying."

"Out of curiosity then."

Tseng smirked ever so faintly as he walked out of the room. Everybody was shocked at who he pointed to.

Not being able to see the television and not really wanting to stare at Tseng, it appeared that Reno decided to sleep. He was sprawled out over the armchair, his long limbs hanging off the edge.

"While it seems that it's always going to be Reno, why do I always find myself surprised?"

Rusty shook his head and sighed. The others agreed with him and each left to get ready. Rude paused as he passed by the redhead.

As far as he knew, Reno had only run some laps, eat, watch television, and sleep. Most people would be training if they had his job tonight. He knew that many of the other veteran Turks were practicing. Then again, none of the other Turks probably consumed that much sugar and crashed right before a fight.

They may all be rookies, but they were Turks nonetheless. When it came to fighting, even the weakest of them was a force to be reckoned with. That said, Rude wondered why Reno would be arrogant enough to sleep right before a fight. Either he was a fool, a capable fighter, or a combination of both. Regardless, he was excited at the chance to square of with him.

"Wha?...Where'd everybody go?"

Reno looked around sleepily and then looked at Rude questioningly.

"Getting ready. Thirty minutes."

"Still? Whatever, I'm goin' back to bed, yo."

With that, the redhead slumped into the chair again and dozed off. Rude shook his head and left. It would definitely be interesting tonight.

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**A/N:** Ha, I went through for a third time and fixed some smaller mistakes or re-wrote a few things for clarity's sake. Again, I apologize for the sadness of my grammar and spelling and how frustrating such things are for the reader. School perhaps isn't the best time for me to write considering how horribly unskilled I am. Hopefully now it looks and reads better. Thanks to all who helped me find all the mistakes!


	3. Fight

**A/N:** Here's the next in the edited chapter list. There's lots of fighting in this one. I don't think I'm exactly good at this, but I at least know what's going on. I've decided that fighting scenes are difficult in trying to explain it clearly enough so people can visualize or at least get an idea of what's going on. I know it in my head, but whether or not I get it into words is a whole other story. Anyways, thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!

I don't own FF VII

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"Interesting" was an understatement made possible only by the company's love of eccentricities. They thought it would involve only the Turks. They were dearly mistaken. Tseng led them to the "arena" which resembled something like a gymnasium but on a much grander scale. Along the sides were the bleachers packed with other Turks and the ShinRa executives, which also included the president.

"They failed to mention they'd make a spectacle out of us."

Rusty scanned the crowd nervously alongside Victoria.

"If I wasn't nervous before as is…"

She pressed her hands to her flushed cheeks while her brother confidently walked towards the empty row of seats obviously meant for them.

Veld was calmly standing in the center of the arena as he welcomed the executives and higher ups and explained the basic events of the evening.

"And now, we shall commence with tonight's first event."

He left to sit beside Tseng amidst the cheering and clapping. The rookie Turks sat on the one end and the other Turks, assumed to be the ones getting partners, sat across. In between the two was an elevated platform that was going to be the location of their upcoming battles.

"Victoria and Trista."

Victoria started when Tseng called out her name. She cast a nervous glance at her opponent who appeared to be perfectly composed.

"Ladies, give it all you have."

Tseng made sure they were ready and motioned to start. He quickly hopped away as the two females began their violent cat fight.

Rude had to feel sympathy for Victoria. He already knew what the outcome of the battle would be. She was far better than any average person, but compared to this group, she was as average as they come.

He had seen Trista fight briefly and could tell she would be the victor. Using two short blades, she was quick despite her size and she was also far more aggressive.

They both took the "anything goes" rule to the farthest extent. Both put up a spectacular fight that many of the guys could not help but stare at. Two girls fighting and clawing at each other was enough to grab their attention. However, as predicted, Trista wound up on top and managed to defeat her opponent.

The large Turk figured this would not help her self-esteem especially when Todd flashed her an extremely condescending glare.

"Next; Rude and Scott."

The two men walked to the center stage. Rude knew that Scott threw things, so the logical thing to do was to prevent his opponent from gaining enough distance to throw a pointy object at him.

"Ready…Begin!"

As expected, Scott jumped away to distance himself but was unable to as Rude moved in at the same time. It was clear that everybody was surprised at how fast he moved. Just because he was bigger than most, did not mean he was slower.

Scott quickly dodged to his left to avoid a punch and swung out with his leg. That was a bad idea as Rude caught it and in an instant, Scott was airborne. He landed and skidded to a halt on the far end of the building.

"Rude wins this round."

He remained stoic even as the crowd cheered and clapped. Out of the corner of his eye, Rude saw Reno sitting lazily beside Tseng and Veld. The redhead smirked at him and then looked away.

The rest of the matches went by fairly fast as it was clear in the first round who were the better ones. The semi-final of sorts soon began and the first match wound up with Todd slamming the hilt of his sword into Rusty's chin, effectively knocking him out.

"Rude and Trista. Ready…Begin!"

She lunged at Rude who deftly side stepped and brought a fist up in an effort to slug her in the gut. Moving quickly, Trista moved her body so as his fist hit nothing but air. He quickly spun around aiming for her head. As he hoped, she ducked and the minute she did, he brought his other fist upward and hit her with a quick uppercut. The blow was enough to send her flying but hopefully, not enough to permanently hurt her. He was glad when she still moved but was just too dazed to do anything.

"That leaves Rude and Todd."

Todd stood up and walked over to Rude. This would be slightly more complicated since Todd showed he could attack effectively at a distance and up close.

"Ready…Begin!"

Neither moved for a moment as both were studying the other. They both sidestepped slowly to the right and then charged each other.

Rude made a careful note to avoid Todd's sword. Even though he seemed to be bludgeoning people instead of stabbing or cutting, it still did not seem like a pleasant experience.

The match was the longest yet. Rude was unable to get in close enough without risking getting smacked by a sword. He knew there was a better way to defeat him; he just had to wait for it. And soon, opportunity presented itself.

In the brief moment Todd adjusted the grip on his sword, Rude moved in. As a natural response, Todd swung the blade but by the time he did, Rude was already close enough to catch his sword hand and quickly kneed him in the stomach. When Todd began to bend forward from the force of the blow, Rude smashed his head against the swordsman's head, sending him reeling.

Despite all outward appearance, Rude's head hurt a little. He hoped it was enough to keep Todd down.

There was cheering all around when Tseng kneeled over the swordsman and declared him unconscious.

"Way to go! You people take the whole 'use your head' thing literally, yo!"

It was the first time he actually saw or heard any reaction from the redhead. After a quick heal spell, Todd was conscious and functioning again although he was still rubbing his head. He cast a furious glance at Rude who shrugged it off.

"Great job everyone. Next, we'll move on to the part you have been waiting for."

As Veld addressed the crowd, Tseng came over to the rookies.

"We don't have any order you have to go in. Who feels up to going first?"

Nobody was overly eager to start again since just about everybody got clobbered by Rude or Todd. That is why Victoria reluctantly raised her hand. Rude had to give her credit for volunteering even though she knew she would lose quite quickly. Tseng gave her a small encouraging small.

"Good girl. In five minutes."

As he walked away, Rude patted her on the shoulder. She looked up and smiled faintly and then looked at her brother who just snorted at her.

"Better re-warm up."

She stood up and began stretching. He glanced over at the redhead to see how he was warming up. To say the least, he was amusedly surprised when he saw what the redheaded Turk was doing for a warm up.

Reno was preparing for the fight by struggling with a package of what appeared to be some sort of snack. He stared at the bag in frustration. He was trying to open it without spilling the contents everywhere.

Rude had to cough and cover his mouth to hide a small chuckle.

Seemingly fed up with Reno, Tseng reached over and yanked the package from Reno, earning a mean glare as he opened the bag for the redhead. He could not hear the words exchanged between the two, but he had a feeling the redhead was cursing.

"As you already know, Reno will have the honor of sparring with our Rookies here. So, first up, Victoria."

The timid female Turk walked on to the platform, as did Reno who was finishing chewing something. Being to far away, none of the others could hear what he was saying to her, but the exchanged words resulted in a smirking Reno and a blushing Victoria. Whatever he said though, seemed to calm her down quite a bit.

"Ready?…Fight."

Victoria swung her staff around twirling it every which way. Reno was able to twirl just as much and deftly dodged anything she attempted. Rude could not hear what he was saying but figured it must be advice as she kept attacking changing her style sporadically. Reno hopped, skipped, and dodged around. At long last, the fight was over. Faster than most could catch, Reno now had her staff and bopped her softly on the head signaling the end of the match.

"Which one of ya wants to go next?"

Not even bothering to wait for Veld, Reno already began calling them out. Trista stood up and confidently walked up to meet him. Again, the words exchanged had Reno smirking but Trista glaring daggers. She brought her weapons up to match her glare.

"Begin."

Reno had to duck quickly as two blades cut through the air aimed for his head. He chuckled as he acrobatically rolled to the side to avoid being hit. As he did, he drew his EMR. The redhead rolled into standing again and had his EMR up and blocking her twin blades.

In a literal flash, Reno had turned on his EMR and the volts of electricity ran through her blades and reaching Trista. She quickly dropped the blades and when she looked up, Reno was behind her. With a quick chopping motion, Trista was out cold.

"Boss wasn't kidding when he said Reno was skilled enough to take us all on."

Rusty was staring wide-eyed alongside Scott. Rude turned his attention to the now energetic redhead munching on the snack bag contents. It did not take long before he managed to eliminate both Rusty and Scott. Now, the only people left were Todd and Rude. He could tell the swordsman was getting edgy watching Reno take them out one at a time.

"I'm going next."

Todd stood up and Rude did nothing to stop him.

"C'mon, ya think you're gonna beat me?"

"I'm positive."

"Don't be so positive unless you're positive, yo."

That last comment made Todd pause in momentary confusion. Honestly, Rude found the statement a bit more complex than usual as well. However, Reno did not seem to care that it made no sense to anybody but himself.

"Let's get this started…I think ya need to be knocked off that high horse of yours. Nothin' personal, but I'm gonna end this before ya can even begin, yo."

He smirked confidently at Todd who was becoming red in the face from holding in his anger. Tseng walked over to the both of them. Todd nodded and Reno shrugged as he quickly ran his tongue over his top row of teeth. He eyed Reno's EMR hanging limply in his hand. It was still on and the brief bolts of electricity coursed up and down.

"Ready…Begin."

Reno made a quick triangular motion with his EMR with a few flicks of his wrist. Todd either failed to notice or paid no heed to it as he stepped to charge at the redhead fully intending to be the one who took him down.

Before he could even move a step, he slammed into what felt like a wall. It did not help that he smacked his forehead where Rude had head but him.

"Told ya I'd beat ya before ya moved, yo."

Todd pressed his hand forward and found a wall. He looked like a mime making a box or in this case, a pyramid.

"What the hell?"

He furiously slammed his hands against the sides causing Reno to laugh maniacally.

"Ya ain't gettin' out of there by yourself, buddy."

Tseng walked over to where Todd was immobilized.

"Defeat by incapacitation. Moving on."

It looked as if Tseng was going to walk away, but after getting a short distance, he spun around with incredible force and hit the pyramid with a swift back roundhouse kick causing the walls holding Todd prisoner to shatter. He fell to the ground as the shards quickly faded. Todd stood up and sulked back to his seat. It was the fastest defeat the entire night.

"That leaves Rude."

The bald Turk stood up and cracked his knuckles in anticipation. He would be lying if he said he had not been eagerly waiting for this moment. Watching him move let Rude know that the redhead brat was going to make life interesting.

"So, ya ready big guy?"

He got in a fighting stance to let him know his answer.

"Alright. Give me a challenge, yo."

"Ready, fight."

Even after watching him throughout the evening, Rude was surprised at the speed Reno had. He had no time to react as Reno showed up right in front of him. It took all his effort to block the punch aimed at his face. Reno's fist met with the side of Rude's arm as he blocked. However, Rude was unprepared when Reno used his arm to give himself some leverage and kick him in the side of the head.

"Sheesh, no wonder Todd's head hurt, yo. What's your head made of?"

Rude staggered a bit. He was not expecting that much force from somebody built like Reno. The redhead was the tall and lanky type, the ones who could pass off as a skeleton at Halloween or any other time of the year.

He was a good bit shorter than Rude, but then again, most people were. There was absolutely no bulk to Reno. However, judging from the strength of his attacks and the fact that he ran faster than most people should, what little meat he did have on him was probably muscle.

Unfortunately, that could only be inferred since the redhead's suit hid everything. For starters, Rude could tell it was probably one size too big. It hung limply off his frame making him appear even smaller. Rude hoped that was the case or he would have to rethink his perception of his own strength. It would be bad for his ego if a skeleton with skin could cause that much pain.

"'Kay then. Round two, yo."

The redhead charged at him again. Rude readied himself but was surprised again when Reno suddenly seemed to disappear.

"Oh crap…"

Rude mumbled as he realized what was happening. Reno was exploiting his blind spot. He brought his arm up to defend from whatever attack the redhead planned on. He sincerely hoped it was not going to be his EMR. However, it was futile as Reno reappeared in his line of vision smirking.

"Hi, yo."

A fast round house kick nicked him on the shoulder as he attempted to dodge. He rolled away and rubbed his shoulder.

"You, are definitely one of the best. C'mon. Show me what ya got, yo."

Reno moved in a defensive position signaling for Rude to make the attack. He happily obliged.

Judging from the stance, Reno knew he had a larger blind spot since one eye was covered as he always managed to keep his blind side away from Rude.

Rude determined that even if he did make it to the blind spot, Reno's natural speed and reflexes would prevent any damage.

"Here goes."

He charged straight for Reno who shifted his weight and prepared to move out of the way. As he anticipated, Reno moved to the right. He remembered that the redhead's right leg was injured and reasoned that he would favor it by pushing off with his good leg.

"Holy-"

Reno yelped as Rude quickly spun backwards intending to catch the redhead with a backhand, but underestimated a human being's flexibility.

The lithe redhead bent backwards until he was practically parallel to the ground. Keeping up the momentum, he quickly put his hands down over his shoulders and used the force to do a back kip over Rude's leg, which was swinging out for him, and back to standing.

"That was close, yo."

Rude found that fighting Reno was extremely frustrating but also satisfying at the same time. The redhead had speed, agility, flexibility, and some power too. No wonder he was so highly regarded.

"One more round?"

He smirked as Rude once again took up an offensive stance. Reno followed suit and took up his own offensive stance surprising anybody who understood the basics of fighting.

Rude studied the redhead. It was obviously offensive, that much he could tell, though he could not say he had ever seen such a stance. The sloppiness was almost irritating, but Rude forced himself to remember how dangerous Reno could be.

"So, what am I gonna do? Move to the left? But you know I wouldn't do that to my leg, yo…But you'd expect me to go the right…I could charge center, but, that's like runnin' into a brick wall, yo."

The large Turk gradually became more uncomfortable. Thinking aloud in a fight usually meant somebody was up to something, and considering his opponent, it would be something unexpected.

"Ya ready? Keep your eye on the birdie, yo."

Reno started at Rude like a rocket grinning like a madman. As he approached, his movement did surprise Rude. The redhead had just pushed off with his "injured" leg.

It did not end there though; he began using his right leg for everything. Having dealt with him previously while he was using his left to lead, the sudden switch to the right forced Rude to adjust his previous line of thinking. Thankfully, Rude was no slouch in combat and could adjust well.

They exchanged blow after blow as the crowd began to cheer louder and louder.

"This is it, yo."

Reno once again charged at Rude who was now prepared to deal with the redheaded whirlwind. He caught Reno's leg as he kicked, but Reno used the grip to gain enough momentum to knee Rude in the chin with his other leg.

He staggered backwards, but used it to his advantage as he spun around with is fist. Reno dodged the blow, but while he did, it left a small blind spot that Rude just so happened to notice. He brought his fist around fast and hard.

There was a sudden gasp from the audience and then the place went silent.

The two Turks were standing in the center breathing hard. Rude's fist was about a few centimeters away from Reno's face. Likewise, Reno had his EMR held next to the larger man's neck. It was incredible for both of them. Reno was quick enough to bring up his EMR to stop Rude who was actually able to stop before learning what electricity felt like in the neck.

"Draw."

The crowd began cheering wildly again. Both Turks relaxed and stood at ease. The redhead smirked as he stuck out his hand. Rude said nothing as he took it and shook it.

"Good job. Ya just won me a boatload of gil, yo."

Rude stared at him. A flurry of thoughts quickly invaded his mind as he wondered if Reno was going to be his partner and wondering how much the redhead was betting on him. That was a scary thought. He had no idea how he would handle him, if handle him at all.

"Great job everyone!"

Tseng came over and patted Rude on the back. There was a small grin on his face.

"Tonight is over. You are free the rest of the night and tomorrow as we determine your partners. You are dismissed."

"Sir!"

They all saluted and calmly left the auditorium. There was some cheering from the crowd and many of the executives began talking animatedly with each other. As they walked away from the noise and adrenalin fueled fights, the rookies finally relaxed.

"That was incredible, Rude!"

Victoria gave him an energetic hug. The others began congratulating him as well. Everybody seemed to be in a good mood except Todd who was moodily walking ahead.

"No need to pout, Todd."

Rusty cheerily called out to him but was answered by a grunt.

"Leave him alone. He's just not used to losing. Todd has always won at everything with ease. It's a good experience for him."

Victoria passionately explained her brother's personality. Judging from her emotions, she had been waiting for somebody to show up her brother.

"Man, I'm too wound up to go to bed."

"I got the perfect remedy, go get wasted, yo! Bet ya you'd sleep then."

Reno was following behind them strapping his EMR back onto one of the belt loops on his pants..

"They've got a bar just for us, but ya can go out into the city too. Depends on how much damage ya want, yo."

"Sure, let's celebrate finally getting these preliminary tests finished! C'mon gorgeous, a drink on me!"

"Guess he already knows where it is, yo."

Rusty happily marched ahead dragging an angry looking Trista.

"Do you drink a lot, sir?"

"Yup. I get sloshed on a regular basis. Have been for a good few years, yo."

Victoria looked incredulously at Reno who shrugged.

"It's not that uncommon. Besides, I'm fully confident you'll develop a love of drinking during the course of your career. Haven't met a single Turk who doesn't like booze, yo."

They finally arrived at a bar and lounge. Trista and Rusty were already present with the female sipping a colorful drink and Rusty nursing his red cheek.

"Here to celebrate, huh?"

The bartender merrily waved all the Turks in.

"What'll ya have?"

The bartender was a beautiful woman with long blond hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her slender, yet full figure was accentuated perfectly by her uniform. As elegant as she looked, her language did not match.

"Word has it ya'll got yer asses whooped."

The barkeep laughed heartily while she pulled out numerous glasses. Eccentric seemed to be a job requirement.

"I'll have the usual, yo."

"Tseng finally let ya at it boy?"

"Yup. C'mon guys, don't be shy, she doesn't bite…usually."

Pretty soon, everybody had a drink and was relaxing around the bar. Some people were already on the tipsy side. Rude sat silently, as always. Reno sat beside him with his own drink. He did not know whether to be impressed or concerned at how much the redhead could put away.

"Impressive little bastard, no?"

"Yeah…"

The bartender leaned onto the counter as both she and Rude watched Reno empty another glass.

"So, heard ya beat 'im in the fights."

"Draw."

"In that case, ya won 'cause it was a draw. My goal was to beat ya. I didn't beat ya, so I lost and that means ya won, yo. Congrats!"

As he finished, Reno's speech gradually became more slurred and eventually was face first on the counter. Rude poked him in the shoulder once.

"Huh, down already? Must be tired if he gave up that early."

She walked over and cleared away the glasses. Rusty came stumbling over loudly.

"Isn't this great? We're now Turks, the top dogs! Life is good, dontcha think?"

It was obvious Rusty was already way drunk. His speech came out slurred and he had to grip the bar counter for support. Rude just let him babble on.

"Yup, life's all good, yo…But then it's gonna kinda suck sooner or later…yup…"

Rude was surprised when Reno was talking again. He looked around as though trying to figure out where he was.

"Ya, we're the top, yo…But nothin' comes cheap. 'Specially now…Everythin's changed…It used to be…mm…Just keep tellin' yourself you're the top, yo…Is how ya get by…Now, I must talk to Tseng…"

Reno stood up with some difficulty but managed to stay upright impressively well.

"Not sure what it is…but I gotta talk to him…"

Being thoroughly wasted, Reno managed to stumble out the door and leave the others.

"Wazzat about?"

"Word's of wisdom. Keep 'em in mind."

"'Kay…"

Rude watched him pass out on the floor. The bartender looked over the counter and shook her head.

"No litterin' on my floor. Somebody better drag him out of here."

The others laughed drunkenly. The remainder of the night passed on smoothly with much alcohol freely flowing and good cheer.

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**A/N:** I was surprised at how few glaring mistakes I made. It was also nice going through this one again because it was much shorter than the rest. I decided that Reno should kick people more than punch them like Rude or Tifa. If he does use his hands, I tend to assume he's using his EMR thingy. That said, I had Tae Kwon Do in mind for his fighting style. They kick a lot and I think in the end, kicking people is more fun than punching them. So, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading!


	4. Partners

**A/N:** Let's see here, another chapter done. It's long...I't long and there aren't any gun fights, blood shed or death...Oh well, it's a good bridge and adds to character development. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it. Yeah, I just didn't want to go with linear descriptions and development. But whatever, it's a bit long, but a lot of it is talking. Next chatper will be more like the previous chapter lengths. Hopefully, I got most of the typos but I might have missed a couple. I'm not used to writing so much unless it's a thesis...And with theses are written quite differently than fanfiction...So, there might be a few, but if it bothers you, just point out whichever and I'll try to fix it. Other than that, on with the show.

I don't on FF VII

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Rude woke up to a pounding headache and the annoyingly bright sunlight coming through the small window.

He glanced at the clock. The face read 11:00 a.m. He was glad they had nothing today. His head hurt and not because Reno kicked him.

"Mornin' Sunshine!"

Rude had to do everything to keep from cringing at the volume. Reno stood in the doorway to his room grinning.

"Hung over, are we?" He merrily walked into the room keeping something behind his back. "Ya might want to plug your ears, yo."

Behind his back, Reno pulled out a decent sized desk gong and mallet. Rude quickly placed his hands over his ears. Reno grinned like a child about to do something wrong.

_CLANG!_

Even with plugged ears, the crashing noise was almost unbearable. He wondered what Rusty felt like.

The poor man literally jumped out of bed and landed with a painful thud on the floor. He gripped his head in pain.

"What the-"

"WAKE UP, YO!"

Rusty toppled over in agony when Reno bent over and yelled into his ear. He looked up pitifully at Reno who smirked and then spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

"You have been summoned, yo. Please make your way to Tseng's office and have a nice day, yo."

His eyes went wide as he sat up quickly and looked at his uniform. It was a wrinkled mess that made Reno look like he was going to a ball.

"Gotta go!"

Rude and Reno watched as he left he room in a rush still trying to straighten up. The redhead chuckled.

"Tseng's gonna get mad at me. I didn't tell him the boss man was in no hurry, yo. Ah well, Boss won't care, he knows I'm messin' around with people, yo…Ya look like death warmed over, yo."

The larger Turk examined his clothes and complexion in the mirror. Yes, he definitely agreed with the redhead.

"Wanna know why I'm fine this mornin'?"

Reno was still grinning as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. That was exactly what Rude was wondering especially since the younger one drank harder liquor and could drink them all under the table.

"It's a nifty trick, yo. Get ready and meet at the lounge. Poor little Victoria had a couple of measly girly drinks and was out cold. She looks so miserable this mornin', yo."

He chuckled and left Rude to get ready. It was concerning as to what Reno had in mind since the young man seemed to find the most unconventional means of doing things.

"Morning…Rude…"

When he walked into the room, Victoria, who was lying on her stomach on the couch with a garbage can nearby, greeted him weakly.

"See, told ya, yo."

Reno was patting her back and moved to the side when she lunged forward and stuck her face in the garbage can.

"Since I'm such a nice guy, I'll show ya the best way to cure a hangover, yo…but don't tell everyone 'cause I like to watch them suffer, yo."

Rude watched as Reno pulled out his EMR and popped out a materia orb and replaced it with another.

"…Holy Bahamut, you're going to cast a spell."

His mind began racing and wondering what magic spell he could use. Reno seemed to be able to catch what was going through Rude's mind and rolled his eyes.

"I ain't gonna zap ya or somethin'. I told ya didn't I? I'm good at certain types of restorative magic, yo."

While that was a relief, he then began to wonder what magic spell there was that cured hangovers. A soft green glow emanated from Reno's EMR.

"Esuna."

Rude grabbed onto the back of the couch as a brief pain coursed through his body. It was over in a moment and when he stood up straight, he found that he felt perfectly fine.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

The redhead was again replacing the materia with the original one. Victoria sat up and blinked. A large smile crept along her face.

"I feel great. Thank you so much!"

"No prob, yo."

"I didn't know Esuna spells could do that."

Rude wondered by what means Reno discovered such a method. The redhead grinned confidently.

"Normally, they're not supposed to, but I tweaked it a little, yo. Casting magic is a matter of concentration right? So, I just concentrated on what I wanted eliminated from the body system and voila, you got a cure all for hangovers, yo."

Victoria nodded while starring at Reno with wide bright eyes.

"That's incredible."

"Yeah, I know, yo. Though Tseng says he doesn't know how I managed to corrupt something like materia for my own drunken gains…but then again, he tells me lots of things I don't listen to…So, ya guys excited? By this evening, you're gonna have partners, yo. Right, and about that, stick around here 'cause Tseng wants to talk to ya, yo."

They both nodded their heads. The door opened then and Todd walked in. He looked at Reno, then Rude, and then his sister. He seemed crestfallen when he laid eyes upon his sister.

"You're up? I wanted to see you hung over, dear sister."

"I'm sure you would, brother."

Reno watched the two with amusement. Todd turned to face Reno and smirked.

"Sometime, I want a rematch."

"Sure thing, yo…But no matter how many times ya try, ya still won't beat me, yo."

"We'll see about that."

"Ooh, scary, yo."

Before Todd could say something snappy, the door slammed open and a very unhappy Rusty walked in.

"Your turn, Rude…You're a real jerk, you know that?"

He flopped onto the couch and pointed accusingly at Reno who smirked and shrugged.

"So I've been told, yo."

Rude exited the room and quickly walked to Tseng's office. He knocked softly on the door when he arrived.

"Come in."

He opened the door and walked into Tseng's office. It was neat and organized with everything in its place. His superior motioned towards the chair in front of his desk.

"Have a seat."

"Sir."

"I must say, last night was quite a show. Nothing interesting like that probably since Reno."

That figured. Of course the firebrand Turk would have caused a stir. He seemed to do that wherever he went.

"Uh…Thank…you?"

"Haha. Yes, take it as a compliment. Now, speaking of the little red devil, what do you think of him so far?"

That was a tough one. Rude could not decide what he should thing so he said the first thing that came to mind.

"Odd."

Tseng chuckled at the response.

"A pleasant way of putting it. Other than that?"

"I don't know…I suppose, he's skilled…even if he doesn't look it…"

Tseng nodded his head and motioned for him to continue.

"Unpredictable, but seems reliable."

"Good choice of words. Personality wise, what would you say?"

"There's a lot of it."

His boss seemed to find this humorous.

"Yes, yes there is. How do you respond to such an abundance of personality?"

"It's different. A definite change from the ordinary."

"Good or bad?"

Rude thought about it before answering. Everyday was the same routine. Not that he minded routine. If it was, then he always knew what to expect. But after a while, he was bored with it. That was one of the reasons he joined the Turks, to get away from the normal.

"Good."

"I see…Judging from Reno's…colorful reports, he has only good tings to say about you and your skill."

"Colorful, sir?"

He could not resist asking what Tseng meant. The field commander held up a report.

"…I see…"

The report was, quite literally, colorful. It looked like it was handwritten with colored gel pens. The words formed an elaborate color scheme overall. Examining the words as a whole revealed a large smiley face.

"He's bitter towards paperwork…So, would you be able to put up with this?"

"Coloring?"

"Reno…You think he's odd now? Wait until later, 'odd' only scratches the surface."

Rude watched as Tseng suddenly became serious. He put down the report and leaned onto his desk.

"I'm not joking when I say that boy has issues. If he were anybody else, I'd gladly throw anybody at him…However, I am unable to do so with Reno. I would like to believe you'd be a suitable partner, but I must consider both Reno and you. Sum up your personality in four words."

"I'm quiet and patient."

"And you made a complete sentence. Excellent. That was quick. I like that. It means you know yourself. Very well then. Tonight I will reveal everybody's partners including yours…though I have no doubt you know who it will be. We'll see how things go. Could you ask Victoria to come next, please?"

"Yes, sir."

Rude stood up and walked down the hallway. He entered the lounge are and looked for Victoria.

"Your turn."

"Alright."

She stood up and headed for Tseng's office. Rusty watched her leave and after she was no longer in the room, he turned eagerly to Rude.

"What were up with those questions?"

Rude shrugged. He honestly did not know even though he had a feeling Rusty had a whole different set of questions.

"Man, I hope I get a hot female partner."

Reno chuckled.

"What? Don't tell me you wouldn't like to have Victoria or rather, Trista…"

"Even if you had a 'hot' partner, what makes you think she'd like you?"

He turned to face the new speaker. Ryoko came into the room followed by a new individual. Rusty hopped over the couch and sauntered past the Wutaian woman and straight to the newcomer.

"Hey Shanon, better watch out, yo."

Reno pointed at Rusty. The rookie took the newcomer's pale hand and bowed.

"Such a lovely name for a lovely individual."

Rude examined this 'Shanon.' She was beautiful even though something seemed off. Whatever the case, she had shiny, yet pale blond hair, long and flowing pulled back into a lose ponytail. Stray strands framed her pale face while long eyelashes accentuated hazel eyes. Her features were fine and delicate. As he continued to study her, he finally realized what was wrong.

"…Rusty…"

"Not now, can't you see I'm talking to a lady."

The lady grimaced and glared. Rusty took it as a reaction to Rude.

"Don't mind him. I'm Rusty, the pleasure is all mine."

He leaned forward to kiss her hand but paused when he felt something cool press against his head and hear a small click.

"I'm sure it is and the pleasure of blowing your brains out will be mine if you kiss my hand."

A surprisingly deep, rich voice emanated from the 'lady.'

"Rude?…"

"Yeah…"

Rusty looked up into the face of an incredibly stone faced man. Just to make sure, he pressed the palm of his hand against his chest.

"A guy…"

"Ya already got admirers, Shanon!"

"Shut up Reno, you're not helping."

Shanon removed the gun from Rusty's head and put the hammer of the weapon back in place.

"How about we start over?"

"…"

The poor rookie stood speechless as the effeminate Turk extended his hand. He numbly grabbed it and shook hands.

"Good job Shuke-chan! You just got hit on before lunch."

Ryoko heartily slapped him on the back earning a glare in return. Reno pointed at him.

"Maybe if ya got rid of the girly long hair?"

"You have long hair too Reno."

"But I don't get mistaken for a girl. Therein lays the difference, yo."

For lack of anything better to do, Rude studied and compared the two. The two Turks shared many similarities. Both had long hair, slender build, and pale skin. However, Shanon had an elegant air about him while Reno was a one man wrecking crew and let a person know it. Shanon had smooth features which contributed greatly to the air of effeminacy he gave off. Reno, on the other hand, had more angular features less than feminine. So in the end, Rude had to conclude that he just wasted precious thought time thinking about such things.

"I can't help it if I'm born with great looks."

"But you get hit on by guys more often than girls."

He raised an eyebrow at Ryoko.

"You keep track?"

"A general count, Shuke-chan."

"Don't call me that."

Rusty seemed to snap out of whatever stupor he was in and attempted to regain his confidence.

"I don't think it sounds so bad. Besides, don't girls like to call people by cute names?"

Reno and Ryoko burst into hysterical laughter much to Shanon's annoyance and to the confusion of Rusty and Rude.

"Shut up, you're not helping yourself."

He growled at Rusty who cringed into a sitting position on the sofa. Reno managed to get a hold of himself first. Much to Shanon's disdain, he began explaining.

"Well, his name is Shanon, right? Ryoko combined the first noise of his name with a Northern Wutainese word, 'uke.'"

Shanon glanced away in an attempt to hide a blush on his cheeks.

"What's so bad about the word, 'uke?'"

Rusty looked questioningly at Ryoko who then looked at Reno.

"You explain it. You're the one who reads that crap, yo."

"How to explain…Alright. You've seen Wutaian comics, right?"

The nodded their heads.

"There are many genres and a popular theme is two guys."

"Basically, go to a comic store, find one that has two girly looking guys on it and well…Read and find out. Somebody's got to be at the bottom in the relationship, yo."

"That's enough!"

Shanon dove for the redhead who easily hopped away. Rude thought about it and realized what it meant. He hoped he was not blushing.

Back at the academy, there was a girl who loved those Wutaian comics. She showed him one and at fist he thought it was some harlequin romance when she merrily told him that it was two males. At that time, Rude had sworn one of them had to be a woman. Now, he understood the joke. Apparently, Rusty still could not put one and one together.

"I still don't get it."

"Good! Never understand it and never call me that."

His cheeks were pink from trying to catch Reno and from blushing.

"Oh my goodness…You, are so gorgeous."

Everybody paused at the statement. Standing in the doorway was Victoria who stared at Shanon. She seemed to realize what she just said.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir! That's so rude of me!…Ah, no offense, Rude."

She shook her head back and forth frantically. Shanon rushed up to her and cupped her chin forcing her to stay still and look at him.

"Please, no worries. I'm flattered you think so. What's your name?"

"Victoria…sir."

"What a beautiful name. My name is Shanon."

"Wait, you could tell he was a guy?"

She glared at Rusty.

"Of course! Don't be so dense."

"So bright too. How would you like to get some lunch with me? We still have a little bit of time before we'd be called. I know a wonderful little corner bistro. My treat."

Victoria looked like she was living a dream.

"O-of course! I would love to, thank you so much!"

He escorted her out of the room leaving behind an extremely confused Rusty.

"What the hell?! Why was he all okay when she said he was good looking?"

Ryoko walked over and patted him comfortingly on the shoulder.

"Shanon's vain, at least when recognized as a guy first. He doesn't take kindly to people who assume he's a woman."

"In Rusty's defense, he does ask for it, yo."

"True. Anyways, I almost forgot my original purpose. Veld wanted to see you, Reno."

"What about?"

"No clue."

"What have I done wrong within 24 hours?"

"Why do you assume it's because you did something wrong?"

He looked at Ryoko and explained to her in a patronizing tone that apparently did nothing but amuse her.

"Because, he always wants to talk to me when I've done something wrong like stick gum in Scarlet's hair, or leave mean messages for Heideigger to find, or I pester Reeve, yo."

"Have you done any of that recently?"

"I stuck a small note onto Scarlet's dress, yo."

"That could be it. I recall Scarlet ranting about people coming on to her and other offering her money."

"Oh, then that's probably it, yo. Fine, I'm off to get a lecture, yo. See ya later."

He was smirking as he left the room as though he could only imagine the results of his handiwork. Rusty scratched his head.

"All you people are messed up. There's the Wutaian butch, the he-she, and the child sadist."

"You'll join the ranks soon enough."

Ryoko laughed though it seemed to carry an almost bitter tone.

"Whatever man. I'm going out. See ya."

"I pity him. I think I know who he's going to be partnered with." She smirked and nodded her head in amusement. "Unfortunately, he will be slightly disappointed. Rusty is not getting a hot chick."

Rude was now left alone with the female Turk. He had no idea what he should say, so he just sat there.

"I'm not going to eat you."

"Sorry?"

"You don't have to look so uncomfortable…You're making me uncomfortable."

"Sorry."

"Reno's right, you're too readable."

That was something new. Most people had always told him he was unreadable. However since he had been around the other Turks, they all seemed to be able to tell what he was thinking. It was slightly disturbing.

"You should play poker with Reno sometime. Don't feel bad, he can read pretty much anybody…So, are you and Reno going to be partners?

"I don't know."

"Hope so. I think you'd be good for him…Ah well, not my place to talk. Go do something or you're going to become a piece of furniture."

Ryoko stood up and marched out of the room leaving behind Rude. He sat quietly on the couch lost in thought. Everybody said he should be Reno's partner, but from what he had seen, Reno did not seem to need much help.

"Heeeeelp! He's gonna eat me! He's gonna eat me, yo!"

The door to the room slammed shut. Rude looked up and saw a panic stricken Reno with his back against the door. He looked back and forth and then sprinted to another door and slipped into the room. Rude was fairly sure it was a closet.

"You haven't seen anybody, yo."

The redhead popped his head out, growled his orders and went back to this hiding spot. Rude took it back. Reno needed help, but from a paid professional.

"Where is he?!"

He was startled by a loud booming voice. Standing in the doorway was the head of ShinRa's defense, Heideigger. It was the first time he had seen him up close.

Heideigger was large. Not large how Rude was large. He was large in the width department. Rude decided that in Heideigger's case, television made him look skinnier. Not that he was ever thin on television. He was just not as large. Heideigger angrily stroked his thick, bushy beard.

"Well? Where'd he go? Speak up Turk!"

Rude stood up and saluted. This was an odd event in his mind.

"Sir?"

"That redheaded bastard. When I get my hands on him, I'm going to tear him apart, eat him alive and spit him out. Gyahahahahahaha!"

Rude's eyes opened wide in surprise and pain as it took every ounce of effort to not cringe and plug his ears when Heideigger laughed. His laugh alone should be used as a weapon. It was enough to bring a person to their knees.

"I haven't seen him, sir."

"Hm…I could have sworn he came in here…Very well."

He trundled out the door slamming it behind. After making sure he was gone for good, Rude knocked on the closet door.

"He's gone."

The door slowly creaked open and Reno looked around warily. When he was positive Heideigger was nowhere to be seen, Reno stepped out.

"Hey, thanks man. I thought I was goin' to be his afternoon snack, yo…What? Don't look at me like that. Ya heard him. He's gonna eat me the spit me out! I don't even merit being fully eaten, yo."

"An expression…"

"Nuh-uh. Not with Shamu, yo. He is really gonna eat me. I don't know why people tell kids about a boogie man when they could just use Heideigger, yo."

"What did you do?"

"I dunno. I was talking with Veld and then I hear Heideigger down the hallway and ran, yo."

Rude studied the redhead. He looked a bit flustered but still had a mischievous gleam in his eye. He wondered if Reno was one of those thrill seekers and enjoyed running for his life.

"I'm gonna head out…It won't take long before the walrus comes back, yo."

Before he left, he paused and shook his head.

"I swear, that laugh makes my ears bleed, yo. If ya ever have the chance, when ya hear him comin' down the halls, run."

Reno then cautiously stepped out of the room and began slowly creeping down the hallway.

"Found you!"

Rude watched the redhead sprint while a huffing and wheezing Heideigger attempted to catch him. He questioned the sanity of any ShinRa employee.

"Rude?"

The large Turk turned around and looked down. A short young girl was balancing a stack of papers while grinning.

"Desdemona."

"It's been a while how have you been? So, you're a Turk now!"

"Yeah…And you?"

"Pretty good. I got this secretary desk job…Well, actually, I'm more like a secretary to a secretary, but, small steps."

"That's good."

"Always the wordy one."

He smiled at her. Desdemona grinned back. She pushed her glasses further up her nose. He had met her during training at the academy. She was doing the grunt work of the teachers' aides. Rude could not remember ever seeing her without a stack of papers. Her pale strawberry blond hair fell messily from a bun on top of her head. She kept blowing stray strands away.

"Who's you're partner?"

"We find out tonight."

"Umm…Well, if you're free afterwards…Maybe we could get something to eat…you know…to celebrate or something…"

She began hiding her face behind her stack of papers as she finished. Rude thought about it and recalled Tseng telling them they were free until tomorrow afternoon after being assigned a partner.

"Sure."

"Really?! That's great! I'll see you tonight then."

"Well, if it isn't the talking stack of papers, yo."

Rude was surprised to find Reno back so soon looking overly smug.

"Heideigger?"

"I took the stairs…fell down like a giant slinky, yo…'Sup Dessy?"

"Not much. Just talking to Rude."

"Oh, I…see, yo."

He smiled, but Rude still caught a second of concern cross the redhead's features.

"Ya know each other?"

"Mm. We met during both out training. We're going to get something to eat after Rude finds out who his partner is. That's okay, right?"

"Don't have to ask me, yo. But, fine by me. Nothin's gonna happen. Have fun, yo."

Desdemona smiled brightly and shifted her papers.

"Well, I got to get back. Nice talking to you, Reno. See you tonight, Rude!"

"See ya."

Reno waved at her as she left. Rude looked over nd was concerned. The redhead was staring after her seriously.

"Be careful…After tonight…I wouldn't talk to her very often, yo."

"Why?"

"Because…our job and her will not mix well…"

Again, Reno was trying to make a point without making that point. Rude wanted to know why all the Turks seemed to be able to do that.

"Her getting in the way?"

He hoped that was not it. He knew how to keep a job and his personal life free from each other.

"No…not that, yo…Ya know what? Whatever, yo. Just enjoy tonight."

The serious expression was now replaced with a smile although it never reached his eyes. It was devoid of any happiness or anything associated with the expression.

"But nothing else, yo."

He shook his head and took a deep breath. When he looked up again, the usual laidback, lackadaisical expression was in place again.

"I hear Heideigger. Ya better run, yo."

Reno took off down the hallway at a brisk pace. Rude followed suit and went to look for something to do as he lost sight of the redhead. Not really wanting to wander around, he settled for playing cards with Rusty and Todd.

"Cueball is totally cleaning me out!"

Rude remained as straight faced as before as he neatly organized the chips in front of him.

"Can I play?"

They looked up to find Reno watching them.

"Heideigger?"

"Commander's gonna get after me for that, yo."

He trailed off much like a child drifts off when they know they did something wrong. Todd and Rusty looked at each other questioningly. Rusty just shrugged and motioned for him to sit.

"100 gil to play."

"100 gil? Only that much? Man, wait until Thursday. I'll show ya how to play poker, yo."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a 100 gil. Todd took it and gave him the proper set of chips.

"Alright, since you showed up late, you have to tell us how you play."

The redhead looked at Todd who nodded.

"Let's see, as far as playing poker, I tend to win even though the game itself, I'm pretty bad at, yo…Umm, I can't say whether I bluff or actually have a good hand. I just go on a whim…Influenced by my own observations…That's all I can tell ya, yo."

"Good enough. Let's play."

Todd dealt the cards. Rude sat and studied Reno. He shuffled through his cards lazily.

"Two, yo."

He was given two new cards and after looking at them, Reno perked up and appeared infinitely happier. So much for a poker face.

"What are you going to do?"

"Check."

"Check."

"Show 'em."

They flipped down their cards. Rude won with a full house. He looked to see what Reno had that made him so excited.

"Look! All red cards, yo!"

Sure enough, he had all red cards. Unfortunately, that was the only thing they had in common.

"You do know how to play poker…right?"

Rusty stared at him oddly. Reno stared right back.

"Of course, yo. Why?"

"No…reason."

Todd shook his head and shuffled the cards. After an hour of playing, Rude could find no discernable pattern in Reno's method. He won some, he lost most, and he was happy whenever he made a pattern.

"How much gil do you usually lose?"

"None. By the end of the game, I usually have all the chips or close to most, yo."

"Not at the rate you're going. Somebody please finish this kid off."

Rude had most of the chips. Reno only had a few left.

"Well, I suppose I let you rookies have enough fun. Time to clean house, yo."

"Let's see you try it."

The cards were dealt out and everybody studied their hand and everybody else, at least everybody but Reno. He looked just like before. They placed their bets and changed their cards.

"What do you got?"

"…Unbelievable."

"I win, yo."

Reno merrily scooped the chips into a pile in front of him. Rusty shook his head incredulously.

"Nah, just luck. Let's go again."

Rude gradually became more suspicious of the redhead. They continued to play and over time, Reno suddenly had a fair share of the chips.

"He was serious…I'm out."

Both Todd and Rusty were flat out of chips leaving just Rude and Reno even though, it would not be much longer as Reno continued to win.

"See? I know how to play, yo."

As far as Rude was concerned, Reno did not seem to be doing anything different. But, that was obviously not the case since he was losing while Reno was winning.

"Wow, you guys suck, yo."

Reno shoved the pile of chips towards Todd.

"Gimme my gil, yo. Some friendly advice, ya got too many tails, yo. Especially you two."

He pointed to Todd and Rusty. The former crossed his arms and grunted while the later looked surprised.

"What do I do?"

"I ain't tellin' ya. You're a Turk, figure it out yourself, yo."

He fingered the gil as he counted it. He folded the bills and tucked it in his jacket pocket. The redhead glanced over at Rude.

"You, my bald friend, have a whole other issue…Well, we'll have to figure out how to solve that, yo."

"Hey, Reno, boss wants to see us."

"Right."

"Whatcha doin? Takin' the kiddies' lunch money?"

"Ah, shut up, Trent. Ya do the same thing, yo."

"You people know what I'm doing."

"Sure we do, big guy."

"Big guy" was an understatement. This Turk was big enough to make Rude look small. While Rude was tall and simply muscular, this guy was a living semi-truck. Reno jumped up and latched onto the man's shoulder.

"I'm not your pony."

"You're big enough to be one and that's what counts, yo."

The larger Turk put up a fuss but obliged nonetheless. Rude checked his watch.

"Quarter till."

"Right. Better make sure the others are around."

Rusty stood up and stretched.

"Still can't believe he took all the gil like that. Probably cheated…"

"No, he's just good at reading people."

"What was he talking about anyways?"

"Did you ever pay attention in classes?"

Todd as usual, had to be condescending. Rusty glared but remained silent so as to get an explanation.

"Basic people studies. Everybody has something or does something by habit especially when put into situations such as poker where bluffing and hiding your cards is important. We probably all did something that gave away when we were bluffing, when we got a good hand or a bad one. He was most likely using the first half of the game to study our habits."

Rusty looked over at Rude who nodded his head.

"I'm positive I don't do anything."

"You really are a dense one, aren't you? We are always the least aware."

He pouted as he thought about it. Then, he grinned wickedly.

"Well, now that I know his secret, I'll show him."

Todd and Rude watched him march off with renewed determination. They both shook their heads.

"He'll be even worse at poker now."

He nodded his head in agreement. Rude was glad that Todd did not seem to be holding a grudge against him from last night. Todd stuck the cards back into the box and slid them into his pocket.

"Better head over then."

All the new Turks were summoned to the training room where they first met after their mission.

"Wow. Everybody's early, yo. Impressive."

"More than I can say for you sorry lot."

Veld glanced at the six Turks milling around. Rude examined the group and saw Reno yanking on Shanon's blond hair unmercifully while Ryoko leaned against the wall and chuckled.

"At attention."

Everybody ceased what they were doing and lined up. Veld and Tseng stood in between the two lines of Turks. Everybody stared intently at the other person across from them.

"Now, the moment of truth. You'll be spending a lot of time with your new partner. I don't give a damn if you don't like each other, you'll still be spending quality time together."

Tseng whipped open a folder and began reading the names.

"Todd and Ryoko."

Todd had to keep from grimacing while Ryoko covered her mouth.

"Shanon and Victoria."

Pure bliss and excitement was written all over the female's face while the androgynous Turk smirked and tossed a stray strand of hair from his face.

"Rusty and Trenton."

Even Rude let a small smile escape alongside the others cracking up. Rusty was ashen face as he stared down the bulk that was his new partner. The normally verbose Rusty could only gape in silence.

"Reno and Rude."

Reno flashed a 'v' sign. Rude smiled on the inside. Just as he guessed, he wound up with the redhead.

Tseng finished off the list and allowed them to mill around with each other a few moments to get adjusted.

"Hey, Rusty? Is Trent a hot enough chick for ya?"

The large man clasped his hands together and batted his eyelids causing his partner to involuntarily shudder.

"Would you look at her? Girl's in seventh heaven."

Ryoko pointed to Todd's twin. Victoria was happily chatting away with the effeminate Turk who obviously enjoyed the attention.

"Let go."

Todd was currently struggling against a headlock the Wutaian woman had him in. She laughed and tightened her grip.

"Guess that means you're stuck with me, yo. Aren't ya the lucky one?"

The redhead grinned.

"Yeah…I guess."

"You guess? Psht, you'll change your tune, yo."

Rude wondered why he felt like there was something else behind those words. From all outward appearances, Reno seemed to be enjoying himself with the others, but it was anybody's guess what he was actually thinking.

"Listen up. Tomorrow, you will meet here at 0930 hours. Understood?"

"Sir!"

They saluted as Tseng and Veld left the room. Reno turned to Rude and poked him in the arm.

"Don't you have a date?"

"A date? With who? Do I know her? Can I come?"

Rusty clutched helplessly onto Rude's sleeve. Behind him, Trenton and Ryoko were having an onset of giggle fits.

"No to all the above."

"Don't be so quick to deny…Well, the date part anyways, yo. Might want to get ready."

Rude nodded and left the cheery room. As he got ready, he remembered Reno's words from earlier.

"_Be careful…Because our job and her will not mix well…"_

Now he seemed to be encouraging it. Rude contemplated the possible outcomes, but could never settle on one. Reno was too much of a wild card.

"So you have a partner, now?"

He nodded his head.

"Reno."

"That's great!"

"You've known him long?"

Desdemona twirled a loose chunk of hair around her finger as she thought about it.

"The first time I met him was my first day at work. He came into the office area and hid under my desk. Mr. Heideigger was after him I think. Since then, he drops by…Sometimes just to talk or other times to hide."

They sat and talked over dinner. In retrospect, she did most of the talking. Rude usually just listened.

"Do you like your job?"

He should at least say something to keep things moving along.

"Yeah, I do…At first I hated it…" She began to drift off and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. "I felt really out of place…The others were either mean or just ignored me. But then, Reno came by and then kept coming by. As mean as it sounds, I was glad to see their faces when Reno would come to visit just me. They're even more jealous now since they know we're friends…He said it was cute how I adjust my glasses."

"He's right."

She giggled in embarrassment and unconsciously adjusted her glasses.

"Thanks…I still remember their faces when Reno brought me flowers once. Granted, they looked like weeds, but I suppose the thought matters most. Apparently, somebody explained White Day to him and he returned with the flower weeds."

Rude chuckled at the thought. It was too easy to imagine the redhead doing something so impromptu. White Day, however, was not generally celebrated outside of Wutai.

"ShinRa celebrates White Day?"

"Not really, but they got these complaints about Valentine's Day being sexist so they tagged on White Day."

"I see…Reno's popular with the females?"

"Yup. But a lot of them leave him alone because he was a minor up until recently and most would rather do other things with him…" She paused and then giggled. "Reno is by no means the chaste prude especially in his speech, but sometimes, the others make too complicated of an analogy and Reno just looks at them like their crazy…It's kind of cute really."

Rude about choked on the wine he was sipping. He would definitely have to see that. She glanced at her watch and suddenly stood up.

"Oh my! I didn't realize it was so late! Oh, I'm so sorry, Rude!"

She looked like she could suffer a panic attack any moment.

"It's fine."

"Oh, it's just I still have to file this report and…Oh…"

Desdemona was shaking her head furiously until Rude placed his hand gently on her head to steady it.

"It's fine. I'll walk you home."

"Mm, thank you."

They paid their bill in a rush and took a cab for speed's sake. In a short while, they arrived at her small apartment.

"Thanks again, Rude…"

"Sure."

An awkward silence hung between the two. Being a gentleman, Rude intended to wait until she was in her apartment, but she remained standing and fidgeting.

"What?"

"Well…um…"

She quickly stood on her tip toes and pecked Rude on the cheek.

"Good night!"

She sprinted up the stairs, opened the door, closed, and locked it in record time. Rude stood still half surprised and half amused. He shook his head and headed for the ShinRa headquarters.

Upon arrival, he was greeted by a familiar redhead.

"You're back early, yo…What? Ya didn't score?"

Reno ducked as Rude attempted to whack him upside the head.

"Easy now. I'm not here to delve into your love life or lack thereof. I just forgot to inform ya about the room change, yo."

"Where?"

"Follow me, yo."

It was logical that he would be moved, he was just unsure where. For appearing a simple building on the outside, the inside was more like a maze. They took the elevator to the floor that seemed to be the Turks general living space. Reno led him past his old room and to a section that had wider spaced doors.

"I already moved your stuff, yo…Actually, I beat Trenton and he moved things…Whatever, everything should be there yo."

He pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door. Rude was shocked at the size. Compared to the room he had shared with Rusty, which was a standard, small sized dormitory room, the new place looked like a palace. It was a two bedroom, two bathroom suite. Upon entering the room, Rude found himself standing in a spacious living room. An open kitchenette was in the corner.

"A bit better than your last room, huh?"

"Rude dumbly nodded his head.

"Well, since we're partners, ya get to live together, yo. Despite what people will tell ya, it ain't that bad. Contrary to popular belief, I'm a neat freak, yo…Granted, my sense of 'neat' might differ."

He looked around trying to figure out what else needed explaining.

"Don't be surprised if ya hear things at night. I have insomnia so I do dumb things with my time. If ya don't want something randomly rearranged, keep it out of my view, yo. Hm, I guess that's about it. Feel free to do what ya want with the kitchen. I rarely use it. Coffee machine works overtime, yo."

Reno pointed to a small machine situated neatly on the counter.

"'Kay, that wraps it up, yo. Do ya need anything? Speak now or forever hold your peace until tomorrow morning 'cause I'm gonna pop a few pills and call it a night, yo."

"No."

"Good. Didn't really feel like explaining anything anyways, yo."

With a half salute, Reno spun on his heel and closed the door to his room. Rude shook his head in disbelief. Today had been an incredibly good day, and it ended with a great new living space.

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**A/N:** Yeah, naming people isn't my strong point, but I actually chose Desdemona for a reason that will be revealed later. It's from Othello by the way...which is a messed up story...Anyhoo, Reno is a little spaz. I have justification for this and his personality. From what I've seen in the games, I molded it around that. Also keep in mind he's younger. One changes over time and he must be somewhat older during the FF VII game. Also, I tagged on a disorder. It'll keep showing up and explained further later. So, until then, I hope you enjoyed!


	5. Murderer

**A/N:** Goodness, it's been a little while since I wrote anything. Anyways, here it is, the next chapter. It's a bit violent...Maybe really violent...I don't know. It seems to change depending on the person. So, I give fair warning now. I actually felt really really bad when writing that part. Oh yeah, I totally forgot to mention this earlier. There is some swearing. Nothing really explicit...Actually, I was told it practically had no swearing in it at all. My idea of swear words is very inclusive. But whatever, nothing too bad. I think the worst word is "ass." I personally don't swear, but considering it's the Turks and Reno, I can't see them saying things overly polite, especially Reno. So yeah, warnings. The end. Now please read and enjoy!

I don't own Final Fantasy VII

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Morning seemed to come quickly as Rude examined the clock face. He stretched and got out of bed. When he did, the first thing he noticed was that he was alone. There was no snoring Rusty a few feet away. He allowed himself a small smile.

Getting dressed, Rude adjusted his tie and stepped out of his room.

"Mornin'…"

Reno was already up nursing a mug of coffee and staring eerily at the coffee machine. Rude slowly and cautiously made his way over to the redhead to see what was wrong. As far as he could tell, the machine was doing its duty. It slowly spit out black liquid into the glass pot.

"Staring at it doesn't make it go faster…Are you…"

"No…I'm not okay, I won't be okay until more coffee…Make coffee dammit!"

There was a slight edge to his voice. His expression was also faintly dazed. Rude determined that he was still working off whatever sleeping pills he took last night. Sleeping pills were always hard to wake up from so, Rude gathered that Reno would remedy it with a lot of coffee.

"I left a cup for ya."

He continued to stare at the machine as he pointed to a mug of coffee on the counter.

"How thoughtful."

Rude grabbed the cup and noticed it was still warm. He sipped it as he watched Reno. A small beeping noise went off and the redhead perked up considerably.

"About time, yo."

He eagerly poured another cup and guzzled it down.

"Alright. I think I can function, yo…Next up, food."

Reno opened a cupboard and pulled out a box of cereal. Rude grabbed it and examined the box.

"You eat this?"

"It's what they call, 'healthy'…Taste's like cardboard, yo."

It was a standard bran cereal. Considering his partner, the food was a far cry from the individual.

"But with enough work, even cardboard can taste kind of good, yo."

He grabbed the cereal and poured some in a bowl. Then, he began adding various ingredients. He threw some strawberries in it and then pulled out a jar filled with sugar. After scooping multiple spoonfuls on top of everything, Reno went to the refrigerator and pulled out chocolate milk.

"Now it's edible, yo…Want some?"

Rude could feel his eye twitch ever so slightly at how the redhead managed to corrupt a health food and change it into a diabetic's nightmare.

"I'll pass…"

"Suit yourself, yo…I think there's bread around here if ya want toast or somethin'."

"Thanks."

He made an affirmative grunt as he took his bowl of sugar and disappeared into his room. Rude just settled on eating the cereal minus the toppings. It was not that he found it delicious, but rather, it was food and thus it was to be eaten.

"So, ya like cardboard do ya?"

"It works."

"Whatever, yo."

The redhead reappeared from his room in his full uniform. As always, it looked perfectly unkempt along with his hair.

"Ready?"

They placed their bowls into the sink and left. Reno brought along his mug of coffee. Both of them soon arrived in the training room.

"Hey guys! Rude, aren't the new rooms so cool?!"

Rusty slung his arm around Rude's shoulders as best as he could reach. He seemed to be in a good mood.

"Granted, it would be better if I shared it with a hot chick, but the size makes up for it."

"Is that all ya think about?"

"What, girls? Hell ya, man, C'mon, you're eighteen. You should be all over them. You're a bundle of raging hormones!"

Reno took another sip of coffee while he edged away from Rusty.

"Yes, but ya don't hear 'hot chick' in every one of my sentences, yo."

He polished off the beverage and shook his head.

"I'm a bundle of buzzed hormones…I love it when caffeine kicks in, yo."

"Victoria Elizabeth Gables! Don't use that tone with me. I just don't want you gallivanting around carelessly!"

"I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions. I'm not morally impaired. What about you? You're living with woman!"

"How cute, Toddy's being all protective of his sister."

"Am not! I'm just making sure she doesn't do something stupid!"

"So you're protecting her."

The twins came into the room followed closely by Ryoko and Shanon. The two older Turks took every chance to irritate Todd or Victoria. Rude and the others just watched in amusement.

"Good to see you all energetic this morning."

"Sir."

They stopped what they were doing and saluted as Tseng walked in. Reno eyed the large stack of papers suspiciously.

"Don't tell me this is 'teach them paperwork' day? I ain't doin' that, yo."

"Even if it was, you would, but it's not so you will."

Tseng calmly left Reno glaring at him while he passed out the papers. It turned out that it was an entire packet.

"You won't be doing paperwork, you'll be taking a test."

It sounded like a schoolroom with the sudden collective groaning. Tseng ignored their protests and continued passing out the test packets.

"Now, this is a simple test with 100 problems. Each of you have only half. The goal is to get this done in two and a half hours. The catch is who turns in the test. You are not allowed to help each other and when you are both finished, only one of you will turn in the test. So, you will have to trust that your partner answered correctly. You need at least a 45 out of 50 to pass. Good luck."

The Turks' field commander then briskly exited the room. Rude began flipping through the pages and about choked at the problems. How they were to answer such complicated questions, he had no idea.

"We're not confined to this room, are we?"

Rusty looked questioningly at his oversized partner who shook his head.

"We're free. Unless specified, we can do what we want."

"Library…or something."

"Agreed."

The other Turks agreed and began filing out of the room to find a way to answer the questions. Rude was going to move, but noticed Reno was still standing in the same spot.

"Reno?"

He got no response. The redhead had a pen out and was circling things at an alarmingly fast rate.

"Reno?"

"Huh?"

This time, he received a semi-acknowledgment from the redhead.

"What are you doing?"

"Takin' the test and bein' a genius, yo!"

"You know the answers?"

"Yeah."

Rude stared incredulously at Reno. He walked up beside his partner and looked over his shoulder.

"You are serious…"

Reno paused what he was doing to turn around and face Rude. He grinned smugly.

"What? Lemme guess, ya thought I was stupid, didn't ya?"

The bald Turk made no answer. Unfortunately, the redhead was right. Anybody looking at him and haring him speak would assume the same. Apparently though, that was not the case.

"That's okay, most people do, yo…It's better that way actually. Always good to be underestimated, yo. Ya know, the whole playin' dumb thing?"

"You sure you're 'playing' dumb?"

"You are a deceptively snarky individual, yo."

Rude shrugged casually.

"Better to be underestimated."

The redhead smirked and patted him on the shoulder.

"Like I said, yo."

"…Snarky?"

He looked quizzically at Reno who stared back blankly.

"Yeah, snarky, yo."

"…Is that a word?"

"No."

"Oh."

And that ended that conversation much to Rude's amusement. The redhead chuckled as he crossed his legs and then sat down. Rude also followed suit.

"Anyways, this test is fairly simple, at least for me, yo. I might not have been to school, but Tseng made me read all these books. I recognize a lot of these questions…Actually, I think he cut and paste, yo."

The silent Turk was again surprised and impressed at his new partner. Perhaps Reno could not claim to be the typical book smart genius, but he was definitely some kind of genius. To be able to not go to school, read a book, and recall and apply said information from a book was beyond Rude's imagination.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I got this…I just realized somethin'…Tseng asked to borrow my books a little while back…He was probably copying 'em, yo."

Reno continued to circle answers while Rude re-examined his own test. He wondered what kind of books the redheaded Turk had read. Rude could probably figure out a couple of questions. He did fairly well at school and academy. However, most of the problems were high level questions most people covered in their advanced college years.

Reno was currently engrossed in his test so to kill time, Rude attempted to answer as many as he could.

"I'll be perfectly honest when I say I don't really know what this crap is, yo…"

Rude looked up and began staring at Reno intently. He wondered why then would the redhead tell him he knew what he was doing.

"Don't give me that look, yo…See, I'm sayin', I got this really good memory and hell, I can even put two and two together and reason through most problems. Thing is, I couldn't really explain much of it if ya asked me why…And I've been told that means ya don't really know it then, yo."

Reno looked at him hoping he understood. Rude shook his head.

"'Kay. See, I betcha anythin' that the others got a different test. No doubt, nobody else would be able to do this test 'cause it's somethin' only I know how to do, yo."

"Fine, and…"

"Point is, do ya trust me enough to get all these right?"

That was a tricky question. Rude debated whether or not he could. He stared back at Reno who looked on with mild curiosity. The redhead often did not make sense, but he knew what he was doing more often than not. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Yeah."

"Good. That makes things easier, yo…"

Reno continued to go through the test as he further explained his method.

"Tseng knows that I can remember pretty much anythin' I want, usually when I read things. So, he made a test to match that. When I say I don't really know it, I mean that I couldn't explain how it's solved, yo. What it boils down to is, there's just a bunch of letters and numbers I remember and can arrange in any order."

Rude nodded his head in understanding. It dawned on him that the young redhead must have a freakishly brilliant memory and mind to be able to memorize and recall the answers.

"The others?"

"Huh? Oh...Yeah, like I said, they probably have a test matching their respective skills. I'm assuming that the point here is to build reliance or trust or some other crazy crap, yo."

The large Turk nodded his head in understanding. They sat together in silence until Reno tossed Rude the test and put his pen away.

"That should do it, yo. Heh, that didn't take long at all. I bet it takes the others longer to figure this out, yo."

Rude raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Hey, I may not be school smart, but I'm still smarter than everybody else. Yup, I'm a genius, yo."

He grinned and made a "v" sign. Rude just stood up and shook his head. He had no doubt the redhead meant it.

"Betcha I get 'em all right, yo. Let's find Tseng."

"No need."

They stood up and handed the test to Tseng. He took it and leafed through it.

"Very good. As the first ones done, you get the next mission along with whoever finishes next. You'll be called when you're needed. Until then, you're dismissed."

"Sir."

Tseng lightly bowed and was about to leave the room when he paused as he passed by Reno.

"I'd be on guard Reno. Heideigger got a hold of your evaluation."

The redhead paled slightly.

"He saw it?"

"Reno, I realize evaluations are boring, however, it is inappropriate to draw a comic of Super Tonberry beating a monster Heideigger bent on eating a Midgar that just so happens to suspiciously look like a donut."

"…Can I get it back? That was one of my better ones, yo."

He was smirking as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Tseng just shook his head and left. Rude turned his head to stare at Reno.

"What the hell."

Reno was smug as he began making his way to the door.

"Well, I better head out…See ya later, yo."

Rude was left standing on his own with nothing in particular to do. He shook his head and checked his each. There was still about an hour left for the others to finish their tests.

"Hi, Rude! Um, have you seen Commander Veld? I've got some papers for him."

Desdemona was currently trying to balance her large stack of papers and adjust her glasses. Rude walked over and grabbed the papers from her.

"No, but I'll take you to his office."

"Thanks."

She pushed her glasses up in attempt to hide her blush. They walked down the series of hallways in silence. Many times, Desdemona looked like she was about to say something, but changed her mind. As they approached Veld's office, the young secretary turned and faced Rude.

"About last night…I-"

"Look out, yo!"

She was interrupted by Reno sprinting straight for them.

"Watch it lovebirds!…And remember what I told ya, yo."

For a split moment, the redhead stared seriously at Rude before smirking again and continuing his sprint.

"…What's he talking about?"

"Nothing…"

Desdemona stared up questioningly at him for a few minutes.

"Rude?"

He just looked at her and shook his head. Shaking off any other thoughts, Rude knocked on the office door.

"Come in."

They both entered the office. Rude attempted to salute while Desdemona bowed politely.

"Here are the papers you asked for, sir."

Rude gently laid down the stack of papers on the desk. The commander eyed the stack and sighed a little.

"Thank you. You many leave. Rude, please stay."

"Sir."

She smiled briefly at Rude as she opened the door. After she shut the door and the clicking of her heels faded in the distance, Veld addressed Rude.

"I would like to address you and Reno on your mission."

"Sir?"

Rude looked around the room but saw no Reno.

"Heideigger won't come in here. Come on out now, Reno."

The redhead popped up from behind Veld's desk. He looked around as he stood by Rude.

"We are informed that tonight's target may lead to the information leak. You two, along with whoever else finishes will interrogate and eliminate."

Reno scratched his head questioningly.

"Not that I'm complainin', but why the 'eliminate' part? I thought they like their victims alive?"

"On normal instances they do, however, this one poses a potential threat if not taken care of immediately."

"Any others?"

"No witnesses. Understood?"

"Sir!"

They saluted before exiting the room. Reno looked over at Rude.

"How 'bout that? Ya got your first real mission, yo."

The redhead was grinning up at Rude.

"Bit of an overkill to send four of us, yo. I hope that doesn't mean there's gonna be lots of other people around…That'd be a pain in the ass, yo."

Turks were trained to handle most situation including crowd control and stealth. While he knew that witnesses were not acceptable, Rude still felt a little uncomfortable if he had to kill somebody who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"What's up?"

"Nothing…"

Reno stared curiously at him.

"Whatcha thinkin' about? Witnesses? Don't worry 'bout it, yo. The commander and Tseng are pretty good at arranging missions to keep the casualties low, so there probably won't be anybody but the target, yo. So, just think about that or somethin'."

That was good news, he hoped. Well, he did not want to worry. Besides, he was a Turk. It would be unprofessional to be squeamish now.

"Ya can handle a simple hit job, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. We can't have ya gone off the deep end this early on, yo."

The redhead chuckled like he said something clever. There were some things that Rude would have to get used to; for example, how not to feel slightly uncomfortable when Reno would say something and then laugh at it for no reason.

"Just relax, man. Go find something to occupy yourself, yo. Tell ya what, go find Tseng for me. That should keep ya busy, yo."

Reno patted him on the shoulder as he walked past him.

"I'm gonna go do somethin', yo. Be right back."

The redhead walked off leaving Rude alone in the hallway. He had no idea where Tseng was. People just seemed to disappear and show up at random.

Not knowing where to start, Rude just began walking around hoping he found somebody. As he walked, Rude had the brilliant idea to check his office.

"If you're looking for Tseng, he's out somewhere."

There were a couple of Turks loitering around the door to Tseng's office.

"Thanks."

Rude nodded and turned around.

"Hey, you're Reno's partner, aren't you?"

He nodded once.

"Watch your back rookie, that kid's bad news. If I were you, I'd ask for a different partner."

"Yeah, nothing ever good happens to the person who winds up his partner."

Rude stared at them questioningly. As far as he was concerned, Reno was like a trouble child but nothing to warrant a change in partnership.

"You know, all his previous partners are dead. Rumor has it, the redhead knocked them off himself."

"Yeah, but nothing ever happens to Reno. Nothing ever does. You see, he's the boss' little pet or something. Man, sucks to be you."

"I quite agree. It does suck to be you."

They ceased their laughter when Tseng appeared directly behind them. He remained calm as always but stared them down with a glare that could kill somebody right on the spot. He was obviously displeased with what he just heard.

"Uh…S-sir!"

"You're dismissed…for now."

"Yes sir!"

They stiffly saluted and all but ran away. Rude watched them disappear around the corner before turning to face Tseng.

"Reno was looking for you."

"Yes, he managed to find me…About those two…"

"Nothing to it."

"Good. However, I will extend the offer to change partners for a short while. If there is nothing else, you're dismissed. Reno should be around here somewhere."

"Sir."

He saluted and began walking away. Rude was not one to listen to idle gossip, however, there was always some truth to a rumor. Whatever it was, he ignored the small part of his mind that kept bringing it up.

"I see you're thinkin' hard, yo."

Reno was lazily slouched against the wall with his arms folded.

"Nothing."

Rude wondered if Reno heard any of the previous conversations. It was impossible to tell since Reno appeared as carefree as always.

"Alright then, we get to go on our little mission with Rusty and Trent, yo. Tseng said he'd brief us at 1700 hours and we're gonna be at the job by 1800."

"Simple job?"

"That's the only reason we'd get a briefing that short, yo. Man, even if two of ya are rookies, I still think four of us is too big a crowd. Whatever. Guess it's faster to break ya guys in I guess, yo."

The walked through the series of hallways in relative silence, or at least, Rude was silent. Reno idly chattered away about the company and work and just about any other thing that caught his attention. As they passed by a cluttered office space, the two Turks were flagged down.

"Rude, Reno!"

"'Sup Dessy?"

Reno waved back as the young secretary walked over to them.

"What are you guys up to? Or is it a secret?"

She grinned smugly up at Rude who remained silent. For the life of him he could not recall what the policy was regarding missions.

"Heh, Rude here get to go on his first mission, yo."

"How exciting."

Desdemona smiled excitedly at the two but left it at that. Apparently, there was a fine, unspoken line between what can be asked and what can be said.

"I guess, I'll leave you two to talk, yo. 1700 hours…And…never mind, yo."

He smiled and waved at the secretary. Rude noted the odd expression he had when he stole a brief stare at Desdemona. Whatever it was, it made Rude eerie of the situation.

"So are you excited?"

"Yeah."

She seemed more giddy about it than Rude. He was amused with the smaller woman and soon forgot about Reno's warnings.

They were sitting at a small table in the little coffee shop they kept on the office floor. Rude listened to her while checking his watch every so often.

"Hold on."

Rude motioned for the secretary to remain quiet as he opened his PHS.

"Just a reminder, yo…In case ya guys were at third base or somethin' and was too busy to notice the time…So, is she-"

The large Turk quickly snapped the device shut. He had a feeling he would be putting up with a lot more of these things with a partner like Reno.

"Who was that?"

"Nobody."

He quickly gulped down his coffee and said goodbye to Desdemona.

"Stay safe!"

He nodded his head then walked off still attempting to shove Reno's voice out of his head. It was funny how it seemed to do that a lot.

"Hey, Rude!"

Rusty came sprinting up excitedly.

"I can't wait for tonight!"

Rude remained silent as he let the other chatter mindlessly about all hi expectations. They approached the designated room and walked in.

"Sir."

As they entered, Trenton and Reno finished saluting.

"Punctual. Very good. Tonight, you are to eliminate this man."

Tseng motioned to a screen behind him that had a photograph of a younger, up and coming businessman.

"He is your target. He had a hand in the information leak and after further investigation, has had a hand in many other illegal activities. If you remain silent, you will not encounter any other individuals. Make it quick, make it clean, now go."

"Yes sir!"

Tseng nodded once curtly and left the room. Reno waltzed over to Rude and Rusty.

"Guys ready? Let's go, yo!"

Rude nodded and followed the redhead. Trenton and Rusty fell right behind.

"Hey, how come we never get a name?"

"Why?"

Rusty looked at his large partner questioningly.

"Shouldn't we at least know who we're killing?"

"What? Ya wanna get to know him or somethin'?"

The redhead was smirking amusedly. The gunslinger shrugged.

"Well…No…Hey, help me out here."

Rude shrugged. In his opinion, he would rather the person remain an unrelated individual, just a nameless body no longer needed.

"Whatever. Let's just get his over with."

They prepared their weapons and moved in on their target. Their vehicle was parked a short distance away. The four Turks found themselves slinking around an upper-class neighborhood.

"There it is."

Trenton pointed towards a large house. The others nodded.

"All right Rookies, tell us, what should we do?"

Reno and Trenton stared expectantly at the other two.

"Upper level."

"Right. Our main man should be in his study on the second floor. We need to get up there quietly and quickly."

The redhead nodded approvingly.

"Good, yo. As long as we move quietly, nobody else should interfere. Rude and I will go through that balcony."

"Rusty and me will break in front."

All four nodded in agreement and split up. Rude noticed a large, convenient tree with branches leading directly to the balcony. With little difficulty, they were able to climb up.

Reno pulled out a small pin and paperclip form his pocket. With an expert twist, he deftly opened the lock and door in incredible silence.

The large hallway they stepped into was thankfully covered with plush dark crimson carpeting to keep their footsteps silent. The fading sun in addition to scattered lighting caused the hallway to be littered in darkness and shadows.

Rude followed closely behind Reno who seemed to practically melt into the shadows. Maybe it was the trick of the lights and shadows, but Rude thought he could see the redhead's eye had a dull, unnatural glow. Reno quickly looked around and paused at a pair of wooden doors.

Reno was about to move when he stopped himself with his hand hovering over the handle. Rude moved beside him and examined the door.

It was slightly ajar, leaking a column of light. Pausing and listening, the bald Turk heard absolutely nothing. Then, as he stood there, a familiar yet sickening smell reached his nose.

Both drew their guns and switched off the safety. Reno nodded his head once and softly shoed the door open. Rude slipped in and scanned the room. He paused when he found what was inside.

"Huh, that can't be good, yo."

Blood was oozing all over a large wooden desk. Lying face first was their target. Judging from the thickness of the blood, he had been dead for a little while.

Reno inched forward while drawing his EMR. With a quick flick of his wrist, the nightstick extended to its full length and clicked into place. Extending his arm, the redhead tentatively nudged the man in the side of the head.

"Oops…"

The head did not shift like it should have. The entire thing just about rolled off the desk. A small flap of skin at the back of the neck kept the head form making its way to the floor.

"I think it's safe to assume he died because his head came loose, yo."

Rude wondered how Reno could just stand and stare at the body with some sort of twisted fascination. While he certainly was not one to become easily disgusted, he did have some limits as to what gore he could handle staring at for long periods of time.

"Get downstairs and send Trent up…I don't wanna know about downstairs, yo…"

He was not sure what Reno meant by that last part, but he did not care as he was simply thankful to be sent away.

As Rude quickly headed down the stairs, he did everything he could to push aside that grisly scene. It was one of those unwanted thoughts where, the more you try not to think about it, the more you do.

Downstairs was just as dark and Rude had to slow down so as not to trip. A little ways down a hallway, he saw a stream of light from a room and two shadows. He entered the room and was about to get the two Turks attention, but froze. If the upstairs death scene was bad enough, this one was just wrong.

The room's floor was littered with the bodies of young girls no more than 10 years old. Their corpses were sprawled out on top of sleeping bags and spilled snacks. They were wearing their pajamas along with plastic jewelry and pools of blood.

"Reno…wanted to…see…you…"

Rude could barely find words. Trenton and Rusty practically jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Uh, right…Scan the rest of the house."

The oversized Turk quickly disappeared from the room leaving behind Rude and Rusty.

"U-upstairs?"

"Dead…"

"I don't want to check around."

Rusty was visibly shaking from the sight. In all honesty, Rude did not want to explore either for fear of finding another messy sight. However, orders were orders and the larger Turk dragged the gunslinger out of the room.

Besides, it was foolishness to leave the house unchecked. The killer could very well still be there and it was their duty to secure the area.

Reluctantly following behind, Rusty followed Rude who slowly and cautiously checked the rest of the house. To their immense relief, nothing else could be found. They were about to go upstairs to find their partner when Trenton and Reno walked up.

"Anything?"

Rude and Rusty shook their heads at Reno's inquiry.

"Good. We've got enough to deal with as is, yo."

He walked over to the room filled with death and looked around. His expression was just like the one he wore when he first found their dead target, not much, just a little morbid fascination. After scanning the room, he turned to face the others again.

"Ya sure there isn't anybody else?"

"We checked."

"That so…"

Rude could tell that the redhead found something off. He looked back into the room and eyed each body as though mentally counting them off.

"Somebody's missin' from the party, yo."

Before anybody could ask anything, Reno quickly drew up his hand to indicate to everybody to be silent. The heavy silence weighed down threatening to suffocate them.

"There."

The sound of a door creaking and rapid pitter patter of footsteps caught everybody's attention. Reno sprinted towards the direction of the sound with Rude and the others right behind.

"Stay away!"

A small frightened voice screamed out when Reno reached out and latched onto the individual's arm.

"Let go! Let me go!"

"Hey, hey, hey…Shh, it's okay, yo. I'm not gonna hurt ya."

The redhead had a firm hold on a hysterical child. The small girl, with every right to be hysterical, struggled in sheer terror. Reno squatted down and forcefully pulled her to his chest. Wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug, the redhead Turk did he best to calm her down.

"Hey now, everythin's gonna be okay, yo. The bad person who did this is gone now. Nobody's gonna getcha, yo."

The girl slowly ceased her struggling and gradually pushed herself forward deeper into something akin to a hug.

"Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise, yo. Nobody will hurt ya. I'm gonna get whoever did this, yo."

Rude felt immense pity and sorrow for the young child. She was sobbing uncontrollably in Reno's arm. He felt relieved, however, that the redhead seemed to be able to calm her a little bit.

"Now, did ya see who attacked ya?"

"I-It w-was a s-s-scary man in…in black…H-He had a-a-a-a g-gun and he…he…"

She broke out into a new wave of tears though there was no need for her to continue. Whoever this person was, probably slit the man's throat first to avoid detection and then just slaughtered the remaining occupants. Rude felt nothing but disgust and hatred for whoever did this.

"What…" Rusty gulped as he attempted to steady his nerves. "What do we do with her?"

"I-I want my daddy! Why did he kill my daddy?!"

The small girl was now screaming in between her sobbing. Reno kept his firm grip around her.

"I don't know, yo…But don't worry. I'll keep my promise, yo…Nobody will hurt you like that again."

"Really?"

She seemed to quiet down as she kept her face buried in Reno's shoulder. Rude was always impressed with a child's ability to trust.

"Yeah…Just go to sleep and dream of bein' with your daddy, yo…"

The child closed her eyes and leaned into Reno's chest. As she did, Reno gently rubbed her back but paused when it came to the back of her neck. He brought his other hand up her back so that now his hands were resting on the nape of her neck. With a quick, barely noticeable jerk, the redhead sighed.

The small, fragile body slumped against him. Reno slowly unwrapped his arms from around her and laid the child on the floor gently.

At first glance, it looked like the girl was sleeping on the floor. However, as Rude examined the body a little closer, he noticed the odd way her head was laying on the floor. It slumped to the side in an awkwardly limp fashion. The large Turk finally realized something.

"You killed her!"

Rusty was screeching and pointing accusingly at the redhead. Trenton placed a large hand on his shoulder.

"You're no better! You're no better than whatever bastard did this! How could you? How could you?! You promised her!"

"I promised she wouldn't be hurt again, yo. Hard to be hurt when you're dead. Since the killer ain't around, I still gotta work on the second one, but I fully intend to keep it, yo. I don't make promises easily."

"Filthy murderer! What makes you any different?"

"I dunno, probably not a whole lot in the long run, yo. I guess ya could argue otherwise, but really, that's just semantics or somethin', yo."

It was almost frightening at how apathetic the redhead sounded. He was serious, but he looked just as serious as he does when talking to the commander. Rude could find no logical reason as to why or how Reno could look like he had not a care in the world.

"You…Monster…I…You…murderer…bastard…"

Rusty's voice faded until it was nothing but a soft raspy whisper. He could not even speak properly though what few words he did manage, the vehemence was glaringly obvious.

"Whatever, yo."

Reno shrugged it off and stared at Rude. At that moment, the large Turk could not tell what the redhead was even close to thinking. Everything was flooding his mind too fast and his powers of processing were struggling to keep up.

"That bad, huh?"

The redhead rummaged through his jacket pockets and pulled out a materia orb. He dislodged another from his EMR and placed the first in the empty slot. A pale green glow emanated from his rod.

"Sleep."

Rude felt a soothing warmness envelope him. Somewhere, he knew Reno had a cast a sleep spell and he struggled against it. However, it was a futile effort for son, he felt his eyelids shut and he allowed the darkness to wash over him.

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**A/N:** I am such a horrible person...It advances plot and development but is still sad. Oh well...Next chapter will also be a little violent. Not so much as this one. Maybe gory is a better word to describe this chapter. Yeah, gory. Next chapter is violence. Whatever, point is, life's kinda tough especially when you're a Turk. The end. I hope you enjoyed!

As a side note to a friend, I'm not exactly sure why I have Reno constantly harrassing and running from Heiddeigger. Maybe it stemmed from my mind and the fact that Reno, especially in Before Crisis, let's the world know that he doesn't think too highly of the really ugly and fat defense guy. I imagine Reno not being particularly nice to somebody he doesn't like. And I doubt he would hang around to take punishment. So there is my reason and I'm sticking with it.


	6. Choices

**A/N:** So sorry for the delay in posting the next chapter. Finals were a bear and afterwards, I went through a state of vegetation. But, I felt motivated again and typed up the chapter. Good grief, I'm such a mean person. Well, you'll see in the chapter. I finally decided on many characters' fates. So hopefully, that will keep me writing. Not to much to say, but that this is a bit violent or something like that and there is a little more swearing than usual. Again, I don't personally like writing it in, but it makes it seem a little bitmore natural. So yeah, that's the warning for this chapter. Hope you enjoy.

I don't own FF VII

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When he was finally able to open his eyes again, Rude found himself back in his room on his bed.

"A dream?"

He sat up and looked around. As he did, he realized that he was still in his suit. It was crumpled and Rude could still smell the blood.

For lack of anything else his mind could do, he shook his head as the previous events played over again.

"Ya finally woke up, yo."

Reno was leaning casually against the doorframe.

"Sorry 'bout the spell, but I didn't want Rusty hurtin' himself, me or somethin' like that, yo…"

"Why the hell me?"

The redhead smirked sheepishly and averted his gaze to the corner of the room much like a child does when they are caught doing something wrong and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well…uh, ya weren't lookin' so hot either…Ah, what the hell. I forgot I had an all materia equipped, yo. Tseng rightfully smacked me in the head when I called and said I knocked all of ya out."

Rude chuckled despite himself. Reno may be good, but was apparently a bit of a scatterbrain as well. As he heard himself, he instantly felt guilty for experiencing a sense of joy when the previous evening's event entered his mind again.

"Still freaked out or somethin'?"

How could anybody not be freaked? Oh right, anybody who was Reno.

"'Kay, as much as I know ya won't want to see this guy, it's kinda required after the first mission. He's a bit of a quack job, yo...Drugs are the only thing psychiatrists are good for, yo."

He pushed himself off the doorframe and closed the door behind him leaving Rude alone with his thoughts. It was odd, he did not expect to be seeing a psychiatrist his first week into his new job.

Sighing, Rude forced himself up and got ready. After a long shower and finding a new uniform, he came out of his room to meet Reno.

"Lookin' better, yo. Be warned, don't think too hard with this guy. Can't stand him…And don't worry about hatin' him, 'cause Tseng does too, yo."

He led Rude outside of their apartment and led him to the elevators. They stepped into it and Reno pushed a button for a lower floor. As they rode down, Rude remembered the other Turks last evening.

"Rusty?"

"A little better. Talked with the doctor a while ago, yo. They got him on somethin' but it does nothin' for him whenever he sees me. I don't think he likes me, yo."

Rude could not tell whether it was amusement or something else in the redhead's voice when he said that last part. From all appearances, the shift in attitude towards him did not seem to bother him at all. He recalled that Reno watched Rusty with mild curiosity during his hysterical ranting against him. He wondered if it would have been less disconcerting if the redhead had even attempted to defend himself against the other's accusations.

"He's bein' kept off duty for a while. It'd make my job more difficult if I had to always try to avoid him. Guys like him get hit the hardest, yo."

Rude did not really need an explanation. It was obvious that the redhead was highly relied upon and was of more importance than a rookie. Despite that, Rude could still tell that Reno was also fairly considerate of those around him even with his generally uncaring attitude. He found that overly odd. Then again, everything about his partner did not make sense.

"That shouldn't have happened, yo."

Rude was very much aware of that. However, he kept his mouth shut like always. Besides, it might be that the redhead just needed to collect his own thoughts.

"Normally, we would've knocked off the old man and left the others in the dark…But…huh, nothin's really makin' sense at the moment, yo."

Yes, Rude decided that Reno was probably not even talking so much to him as just talking. However, he kept that last comment tucked away to ask about later. Right now, his mind wandered to the psychiatrist. He never imagined himself seeing one. As far as he was concerned, his state of mind was perfectly fine and he could handle anything. But, it seemed that the company would rather err on the side of caution.

"So, what are your thoughts on this whole thing? Are ya okay with what I did or are ya gonna try and like, kill me or somethin' like Rusty wants to? It may sound dumb, but I'd like to know if I should watch my back, yo."

"Kill you?"

"…You'd be surprised, yo."

Reno chuckled at that and once again left Rude wondering what was so funny.

"Listen up. Killin' innocent people doesn't happen all that often, but it does happen a lot more often than it should, yo. Your gonna have to find a way to deal with it when it does come around, yo."

"How do you?"

"I dunno. I guess I drink or somethin', but honestly, it doesn't actually bother me that much, yo."

The larger Turk stared incredulously at his partner. The redhead seemed thoughtful of the situation, but otherwise showed no other emotion. It had to bother him to some degree, at least, that was what Rude thought. There was no way somebody could be unfeeling after murdering a human being let alone a child.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously…Oh look, we're here, yo."

Reno effectively cut him off before he could pry further. The elevator doors slid open and the two Turks stepped out. Rude was mildly surprised to find a spacious reception room. Chairs lined the walls and towards the center was a circular desk with a secretary scribbling something down.

"Pretty neat, huh? Makes things convenient, yo…Right, I'd tell ya the doctor's name and all, but I don't remember, yo."

"…Helpful…really."

"Shut up, yo."

He led the large Turk towards the receptionist's desk and leaned on it getting the receptionist's attention.

"Hey sweet thing, this is him, yo."

The young woman looked up from what she was doing and smiled.

"Great. The doctor has been waiting for you. This way please."

She got out of her chair and motioned towards the door. Rude obediently followed her through the door leaving his redheaded partner behind.

"Welcome, welcome. I'm Sigmund Jung Kraepelin."

Rude contained a laugh. He now understood why Reno did not bother with the name. The doctor was a short stubby man with a bushy white beard and wire-rimmed glasses. Actually, Rude found him extremely amusing to look at.

"Have a seat, please."

He did as he was told and sat stiffly in the overly plush chair. The doctor sat down across from him and whipped out an old notebook.

"I heard that you and your companions went through a trying time. Tell me, how do you feel?"

"…Fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Doctor Kraepelin adjusted his glasses while Rude just stared at him blankly.

"Not talkative, are you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I just am."

There was nothing but truth to that answer. Rude recalled always being reserved even as a child. He saw nothing wrong with being quiet and letting others make a fool of themselves with talking.

"But _why_?"

"…"

The doctor sighed at his silence. Rude watched the doctor closely. He could tell that the old man was attempting to read him and determine a way to get him to talk. There was no way that was happening.

"Alright. Let's move on…Tell me about any of your recent dreams."

"I don't dream."

"I fail to believe that. Come now, you can say anything here."

"I don't remember."

There was a hint of a smirk on his face as Rude watched the doctor sigh and rub his temples. If he wanted to, he decided he could be as much of an annoyance as his partner.

"By any chance, did you get any tips from your little partner?"

Instead of a faint one, there was a full blown smirk on his face when the doctor said that. He apparently had some sharp skills too if he could annoy a psychiatrist enough to compare him to Reno.

"Maybe."

There was a heavy sigh from the doctor, but from the looks of things, he was just as determined to get the information he wanted. However, before he could ask anything more, there was a lazy knock on the door and said redhead popped in.

"Sorry Doc, need him for a bit, yo."

"An emergency?"

"Of course, yo."

Rude stood up and eagerly left the room. He lightly bowed to the doctor as he exited. Reno was walking lazily in front him, not like one who had to tend to an emergency.

"Have fun?"

"Loads."

A small chuckle escaped Reno's lips as they walked to the elevators. After the doors slid shut, Rude looked over at his partner.

"The emergency?"

"What do you think?"

Rude just snorted at the response. He expected as much. But then, he was not about to hold it against him since Reno was the one to get him out of the office.

"Don't worry about it. I did it for Tseng too, yo…But if ya really want to talk about it or somethin', ya can get somebody else or talk to one of us…I actually don't suggest talking to me, yo…I'm told I don't help things."

He tried to imagine the redhead offering comforting advice on how to deal with traumatic experiences, but to no avail. Reno was too carefree himself to try and figure out that other people do not think like him. From what he could tell, the redhead would tell them to suck it up and move on. Then again, he could not say that was bad advice; it was just a bit more straightforward and harsher than most people wanted to deal with.

"So, whatcha gonna do?"

"I'll deal with it."

Reno smirked at the response and nodded his head in approval.

"Good. Hopefully, we won't have to deal with stuff like this, yo. Usually, we recruit saps for SOLDIER and keep freaks away from the mako. ShinRa doesn't play nice with others, yo."

Any average person who lived in the world heard the rumors about ShinRa. Rather, they were not so much rumors as they were facts unspoken for fear of bringing down the company's swift retribution. There were countless smaller businesses in energy development, but none made it as each suffered some sort of "accident" that it could not recover from. No doubt, it was the cause of the Turks.

Rude glanced at his partner and wondered how many of those cases involved him.

"There are the ups and downs of this job, yo…But, a job is a job, right?"

The redhead looked up at Rude questioningly. In this instance it was odd. All other times, Reno was merely educating him on the facts of their job or trying to gauge a person's reaction. This time, he was asking as a confirmation, almost as an assurance. It struck Rude as just plain weird, but all things considered, his partner was only 18 years old.

"Right."

"Yeah…Right, yo."

Reno perked up and resorted to his usual demeanor. The elevator rose to the higher levels and stopped. They walked casually towards the living spaces. When they reached the door, the redhead fumbled with his keys a little bit.

"Is this a downtime?"

Rude observed the redhead study the keys in his hands as he absentmindedly answered.

"Turnin' into one, yo. One day we're heroes protectin' the people, then we're the bad guys ya don't piss off…Heh, gotta love this job, yo. Ya can always be surprised."

As if to emphasize his point, Reno smirked triumphantly as the first key he picked was the correct one to unlock the door. Rude followed the smaller individual in the room shutting the door behind him.

"Were those orders?"

He knew the redhead would know what he was talking about. Without even changing his pace, Reno answered.

"Of course. They always are, yo. And no, I don't regret my actions, nor do I wish anythin' different. I dunno, call me heartless, but I see no point in mopin' around about somethin' I had no control over, yo. But do I feel bad? Hm, maybe, who knows? I sure as hell don't know what that feels like, yo."

The redhead plopped himself onto the armchair much like a cat and looked over his shoulder at his partner.

"You're so easy to read, yo."

Rude was slightly taken aback by that comment. However, he did realize that he probably appeared somewhat surprised at having a set of questions answered without him actually asking. He shook his head and took a seat on the couch.

Reno was currently flipping through the channels at an incredible rate. The bald Turk amused himself with the thought that the redhead just liked to watch things flicker on the screen rather than see what was happening.

That made him wonder about his partner some more. It was odd that somebody that young held fast to such strong beliefs, even if those beliefs were abnormal for most his age. From the short time he had been around Reno, he could tell that the redhead had a habit of slipping into an almost childish and immature behavior, but other times, especially when dealing with his job, he showed more experience than most would in two lifetimes.

As he thought about the redhead and his job, Rude began to wonder about one of Reno's more defining aspects of his personality, his apathy. The redhead made it clear that he really does not care about his actions so long as it was part of his job. Rude wondered if this kind of apathy was a result of the redhead's occupation or if Reno had always been like that and it was that trait that made him such a valuable Turk. Either way, it was not very normal and he hoped he did not turn out like that.

"That's it, yo!"

Rude was startled out of his thoughts at Reno's sudden exclamation. He turned his head so that he was facing the redhead.

"Sociopathy, yo. I was tryin' to figure out the word they all used and I couldn't remember. Yeah, that's the word, yo."

The larger Turk could only stare blankly at his partner for a few moments while he attempted to gather his thoughts. The redhead stared at him oddly.

"What? Doctor ugly-old guy-person calls me a sociopath, yo."

"What made you think of that?"

He was going to add "randomly" but decided it was pointless since it would inevitably be lost on Reno. The redhead looked confused for a moment before he realized why his comment seemed ill-timed.

"Oh sorry. I was just wonderin' what crazy crap that doctor's gonna come up about you, yo. First time I met him he told me I was a sociopath…Did ya know I punched him the first time too?"

Rude chuckled as he imagined Reno decking the old man. Apparently he also had no qualms with hitting the elderly either.

"Why?"

"Punch him? Duh, he called me a sociopath, yo."

"…"

"Personally, I find it offensive since I'm not one, yo."

Reno nodded his head once to give his statement a sense of finality. He slumped back into his chair since he gradually grew more animated as he talked.

"You find something offensive?"

"'Kay, it's kinda insultin' to have a random old fart tell ya your crazy and are an 'unfortunate' aspect of society, yo. The only _unfortunate_ thing is that I can't kill him, yo."

"And you're not a bitter person."

He snorted at Rude's sarcasm but smirked.

"Nah, 'course not, yo. What would ever give ya that idea?"

The redheaded Turk went back to flipping through the channels even though Rude was pretty sure this was about the third time through. However, the screen suddenly paused as Reno dropped the remote and answered his PHS.

"What?...Tough, it's how I answer, yo…Yeah, yeah."

He folded his PHS and looked over at Rude.

"You've been summoned, yo. Tseng's office."

Rude nodded and stood up. Happy to do something to occupy his time other than watching blurry pictures flash by, he quickly worked his way through the building and made his way to Tseng's office.

"I hear Reno liberated you from your session."

"Yes, sir."

Rude politely answered as he softly shut the door behind him. Tseng was sitting forward hunched over his desk scribbling on papers. After signing off on something or another, the Wutaian Turk stared straight at Rude.

"I want your report."

"Sir."

He took a deep breath and began explaining things as far as his mind remembered.

"After arriving at the site, Trenton and Rusty went through on ground level while Reno and I went through the second story window. Upon reaching our target, he was found to already be dead. Downstairs, the others found the room with the murdered children. It was not until Reno counted the bodies that he noted there was one missing. The missing child was found shortly thereafter and neutralized by Reno."

Tseng sat silently as he seemed to be absorbing the information. Rude decided he did not need to bother with too many details since he was most likely already informed of them. After several moments of silence, Tseng nodded his head.

"Short and to the point. Excellent. Now tell me about Rusty."

"The scene left him in a state of shock, however, he still appeared in control of himself. After Reno neutralized the young girl, Rusty snapped and began yelling at him. Becoming overly excited, Reno decided to use a sleep spell to keep him quiet. However, as I discovered later, he-"

"Was an idiot and left an all materia equipped. Yes, that was a wonderful call."

That had to be the most sarcasm Rude had ever heard from the field commander. Then again, it seemed to show through more often whenever the redhead was involved. Tseng cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair.

"Now, how was Reno?"

"Apathetic through the whole thing."

"Apathetic…describes him perfectly."

Tseng closed his eyes as though he were contemplating something of great importance. Again, the room was filled with silence as neither Turk made any move to create any sound. It was not until Tseng opened his eyes again that he addressed Rude.

"Did Reno mention any suspicions he had about the situation?"

Rude was caught off guard with that question. As far as he knew, Reno did not seem overly suspicious of anything.

"He only mentioned what everybody already noticed; that somebody was there first."

"I see…I am quite sorry that you and the others had to witness that. Rest assured, we are working as fast as possible to determine the perpetrator and when we do, there will be hell to pay. Thank you. That is all, you're dismissed."

"Sir."

He saluted stiffly and marched out of the office. Sighing as he walked by the various workers, Rude unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped in to find Reno exactly where he had left him except now, he was dead asleep. He wondered how anybody could fall asleep draped over an armchair like that.

The television was still on with the remote and his PHS on the floor. Walking as quietly as he could, he leaned over and picked up the remote shutting off the television. Not wanting to wake Reno up nor attempting to occupy himself with something in his room, Rude decided that he would go to the training room to think a bit.

Stepping into the training room, Rude found Victoria and Todd already in it. Victoria was helping Todd stretch by pushing on his back while he reached as far forward as possible on the floor. She looked up at him and smiled sympathetically. Todd nodded gently at him.

"Crazy day, huh?"

Rude nodded his head once as he made his way to a bench press and sat down. It was no surprise that the others had already heard of the event. Chances were that the others were put on alert for their missions as well.

"Have you seen Rusty? Trista's been to see him a few times since he seems okay with her around."

Victoria spoke softly. Her brown eyes were filled with sorrow and uncertainty. The door to the room opened surprising the occupants.

"Rusty!"

She exclaimed when said Turk walked in. He was followed closely behind by Trenton.

"Hey."

The once energetic gunslinger looked like death warmed over. It was as if he had not slept for days and starved himself. His skin had a sickly pallor and his vibrant eyes seemed to be dull and lacking any clarity.

"Can I get anything for you?"

Ever the helpful one, Victoria slowly approached the other Turk and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Reno."

Everybody in the room was startled by the sound and the request for Reno. Unsure what to say, Victoria began stumbling for words.

"Oh, I don't know where he is…umm, Rusty, you can't hold it against him…I mean, uh, well, he didn't-"

"Shut the hell up!"

She let out a small yelp as a gun barrel leveled on her head. The others made a move to do something when they all paused when they heard the hammer draw back.

"Are you defending him?!"

"No, I'm not defending any…Please, Rusty, stop this!"

Rude could see a small well of tears build at the corner of her eyes. His gaze then shifted to the volatile Turk.

Rusty was panting hard from his anger and his eyes shone with a mad light adding to the tense atmosphere. The bald Turk officially decided that the gunslinger was absent from the sanity department.

"Don't you dare point that thing at _my_ sister."

As if it were not tense enough, having a sword pressed against Rusty's throat was not helping. Rude mentally slapped his forehead for the increasingly dangerous and in his opinion, stupid, situation.

"Put your sword down."

The current situation, if Rude had to describe it, was ridiculous. Trenton now had his gun pointed at Todd. It was like something was ripped from a bad movie and Rude was in the center of it. He decided that the only thing that would be worse was if Victoria did something. However, despite her sometimes weak appearance, she did have a good head on her. Then again, a person can never really be sure about anything until placerd into that situation.

"Get your gun away from him."

Victoria seemed to have swallowed her fear and drew her gun on Trenton. The absurdity of the situation was threatening to crush Rude's mental faculty. Then, to finish everything with a cherry on top, Rusty had a second gun drawn and pointed straight at him.

"Whatcha going to do, Rude? Go get that demon you call a partner? What, not talking? You're as bad as he is then."

Taking in the current situation, Rude decided that he should have just stayed with the redhead and flipped through television channels. He knew he needed to get somebody, but he also knew he was in no position to move without harming one of the others. His heart pounded along with his head though he was not sure if the pounding in his head was from the adrenaline or the painful absurdity of the situation. The sad thing was, it was a desperate position to be in and even the littlest of things could set off a potentially dangerous bomb.

"What the hell…Huh, maybe I really shouldn't take pills with booze, yo..." The redhead studied the situation while heaving a deep sigh. "Aw hell…this ain't a hallucination…"

Ah yes, this was going to make everything loads better. Rude sighed. Of all people to show up, it had to be the least delicate one. Reno was smirking as he sauntered into the room and began circling everybody with curiosity.

"Playin' a new game, Rusty?"

The gunslinger's guns never wavered from their positions but his crazed gaze followed the redhead's movements. Reno continued to examine the situation and tilted his head back and forth as if he were in deep thought.

"I'm hurt, yo. You're here havin' fun and ya don't invite me? Whatever did I do to deserve this treatment?"

Reno finally paused after circling the group a few times. He kept his usual slouch and stuffed his hands into his pockets adding to the overall feel that, he really did not give a damn about what was happening.

"You crazy bastard…I should do the world a favor and just kill you now."

"Gee, where have I heard that before?"

His voice betrayed only amusement and boredom. The redhead made eye contact with each individual before sighing.

"Victoria, Trent, Todd, drop your weapons and back off, yo."

"Reno…"

Trenton growled threateningly at the redhead causing the younger Turk to suddenly frown and glare.

"I said, 'drop your weapons and back off.' Now."

Everybody jumped at his change in disposition. The tone of Reno's voice had a unique kind of authority to it. While commanding, it was not like Tseng or Veld's tones, or any other leader. Rude could not find words to describe it right. It had a quality to it that was most likely something very much unique to Reno. Something about his posture, expression, and command seemed to scream,

"_You don't stand a chance against me in the crazy shit department so don't even try it, yo."_

With painstakingly slow movements, the other Turks obeyed the command. Rusty's weapons however, remained drawn and pointed at their original targets.

"You're actually going to listen to him?! How can you just obey some crazy psychopathic murderer?!"

"Psychopathic?...Sheesh, when will people stop callin' me that…At least get it right, it's sociopathy…Though, I suppose in the long run it doesn't really make much of a difference, yo…I still don't think I'm either…"

Reno resumed his lazy demeanor and idly examined his fingernails. Rude discovered that it was physically impossible for a person to stop any form of facial twitching. For all of his towering observational skills, Reno was not observing that his comments were making the situation spiral downwards rapidly. While watching his partner in disbelief, he noticed a faint twitch in Rusty's arm out of the corner of his eye.

"What is your problem?! You just killed some helpless little girl for no reason!"

"What's my problem? What's your problem? I was just doin' my job, yo. I'm sure ya heard the phrase, 'wrong place at the wrong time.'"

"Why did you have to kill her…"

Rusty's voice drifted off as his murderous glare changed to something awfully pitiful and haunted.

"Like I said earlier, it was my job, yo. Now, do ya think ya can remember that for the next five minutes or should I write it down for ya?"

Reno did not just light a match, he soaked it in gasoline and used a blowtorch. In an instant, Rude realized what the redhead had been trying to do. His final comment sent Rusty back into his crazed rage and brought both guns to face Reno.

Two gunshots rang out causing Victoria to scream and the others to drop to the floor protectively. Reno stood still as two bullets missed him and embedded themselves in the wall behind him. Rude had tackled the crazy gunslinger causing the shots to go wide.

"Fast moves, yo."

The bald Turk had the smaller one pinned on the floor. The guns had fallen from his grip and skidded across the floor. The twins saw to confiscating the weapons. Rude kept one hand restraining Rusty's wrists while the other kept his head against the floor. To keep him from struggling, Rude kept a knee firmly in his spine.

"Victoria, be a doll and go get Tseng, yo."

"R-right away sir!"

She sprinted out of the room leaving the males to sort things out.

"How can you be so heartless?"

"Heartless for killin' the girl, or heartless for treatin' ya like the fool ya really are?"

Crouching down so he could get a better look at his face, Reno smirked as he waited for an answer.

"…Bastard…"

"My, my, that seems to be your favorite word now, doesn't it?"

Reno patted him on the head a couple of times like a dog eliciting a growl from the captive.

"Silly little boy thought he was gonna be savin' the world, yo…Maybe we should have a talk with Tseng or the commander about the false advertisement they seem to be spoutin' about the Turks, whatcha think about that?"

"I have no doubt the others are not as messed up as you."

"I agree with ya whole heartedly, yo."

The redhead chuckled and stood up stretching. He lazily began walking about the room.

"But ya know what? You're on the fast track to surpassin' me, yo!"

Another set of subdued laughter came from the redheaded Turk. He clasped his hands together behind his back and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. Swaying forward and backward made Reno look like a little kid trying to decide what to do next. For all Rude knew, the redhead pretty much was a little kid doing just that.

"I wonder what Tseng's gonna do? He'll probably ask ya if ya still think ya can perform your duty, yo. Just a heads up, ya know, so ya can think about it 'till he gets here."

"Are you sure you just won't kill me?"

"That depends on you."

They were interrupted by Tseng's entrance into the room. He looked just as calm as ever and strode up purposefully to Rusty. A brief exchange of knowing looks between Reno and Tseng passed as he walked by and motioned for Rude to release Rusty.

He stood up slowly and gently let Rusty stand up. Tseng marched over and stared him straight in the eye with no emotion.

"Reno is right. Can you still perform your duty as a Turk?"

"You mean my duty as a murderer."

"Answer."

Rusty remained silent while he stared blankly at the redhead. With a snap of his fingers, Tseng brought his attention back to him. The gunslinger faced the field commander again and began chuckling hoarsely.

"Let me guess. I say 'yes' you let me live and everybody moves on. If I say 'no' you just set your little pet on me."

He stared pointedly at Reno at the last part causing the redhead to dramatically roll his eyes. Rude noticed the annoyance that comment seemed to have on his partner and filed it away for a later use. The redhead snorted and crossed his arms making Tseng eye him before returning his attention back to Rusty.

"It's your choice."

"No, it's NOT my choice! That isn't a choice so how can you call it one?!"

Rusty stepped forward threateningly towards Tseng but was intercepted by an extremely annoyed and angry Reno. With one swift motion, Reno sent an uppercut his way and caused the older Turk to fly backwards with a thud.

"It's called a choice because it is one ya freakin' idiot. A choice is when you CHOOSE between different options. You're CHOOSING whether ya live or die. Crappy as it may be, it's still a choice, so shut up and make your decision already!"

Trenton stepped over to his partner and helped him stand up but also to keep him from trying anything. Rusty wiped away a small stream of blood from where he bit his lip from the force of the punch.

"I don't want to die…I don't want…to be like you…"

"A sad conundrum to be in, yo. But I hope ya don't want to die. That'd be dumb…and kinda freaky…But who said ya had to be me? I'll let ya know right now, nobody can be me, yo."

Rude was not sure whether Reno was proud or merely stating a fact or something else. Rusty seemed to be thinking about his words before he smirked and in a flash, drew Trenton's gun and aimed it straight at the redhead.

"Interesting choice, yo."

Everybody in the room except for Tseng stared in shock at the turn of events. Reno was too close to Rusty for any of them to do anything without the redhead being shot. The field commander looked at Rusty and then at Reno.

"I see. How…unfortunate. Reno."

"Sir."

Tseng nodded and slowly backed up motioning for the others to do the same. Rude was silently cursing at his partner for putting himself in that position. For a person so bent on living, he had a penchant for being in potentially fatal positions. However, Reno was just as relaxed as before and seemed to even calm down some more.

"So tell me…Did you make a choice?"

"Of course I did, yo."

Rusty, in a sudden turn around, became deathly calm. He faced Reno and smiled cheerlessly.

"Too bad, I really did like you, kid."

"So, this is what you're gonna choose? I can't say I'm happy with the outcome, yo."

The small click of the gun being cocked never seemed so loud in the silent room. Reno stared down the barrel of the gun with an almost melancholy expression.

"You live, you die; it's nothing personal; it's just my job."

"Heh, the life of a true Turk. See ya later, kiddo."

A single gunshot echoed through the room and then, there was nothing but a sickening silence. Rude stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of him. The others seemed to be in just as much of a state of shock as him.

Reno stood where he had from the beginning with the only difference being that his gaze was staring at the floor in front of him.

Lying sprawled out on the ground was Rusty's body with a halo of blood growing larger.

"In the end…we all make our choices, yo."

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**A/N:** See, told you I'm mean. The death just keeps coming. And it will continue into the next chapter. But after that, there shouldn't be that much more death...hopefully...Anyways, I'm kind of glad how this chapter turned out. It went through much revision since I think I'm bad at writing seriously. I feel like it sounds dumb...and I didn't want this to sound dumb. I hope it doesn't. Well, whatever way it may sound, I just hope you enjoyed reading it. Next up, antoher character bites the dust. Thanks for reading!


	7. Orders

**A/N:** Another chapter of death! Yay!...Right...Anyways, this is kind of a less than merry chapter. There is some more violence and a swear word. It's a bit dark and tense, but I enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoy reading it!

As a side note, yes, I realize that sociopathy doesn't really exist or isn't an actual term used now of days. ASPD and DPD are more accurate. I will go back and add some extra things to the last chapter, but know that I did it intentionally. But whatever the case, it means people are reading my story! I really do appreciate all your reviews and feedback so much. Thanks to all of you!!

I don't own FF VII

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The room remained silent as the occupants stared blankly at the limp body sprawled out on the floor. Victoria held a hand clamped over her mouth while Todd put an arm comfortingly around her. Reno sighed and looked over at Trenton causing everybody else to do the same.

"Sorry, yo."

"…Not your fault…"

The huge Turk clenched his teeth together while he finally tore his eyes away from his former partner. Nobody said or did anything to him as he slowly lumbered out of the room in a daze. Tseng closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Reno, get clean-up in here."

The field commander strode stiffly after the Trenton leaving the others behind to stare at the bloody puddle on the floor. By now, Victoria was silently sobbing while her brother tried his best to reassure her.

Reno was in the corner on his phone getting somebody to clean up the mess. Rude alternated his gaze to the twins, to the body on the floor, and finally back up to the redhead.

"Hey, you two, get outta here for a little while, yo. Don't go too far though, Tseng will probably want to talk to ya."

He tucked his PHS into his jacket pocket and carefully stepped around the body in the center of the floor and tugged on Rude's sleeve.

"Let's get outta here too. Clean-up's comin'."

The Turks silently filed out of the room each stealing a quick backwards glance at their former comrade and finally turning their backs on him.

"I got a feelin' today is gonna bite big time, yo."

They stared questioningly at him and he just shrugged. Victoria wiped at her eyes and appeared to gather herself a little bit. She looked up innocently at Reno who just tilted his head in question.

"Sir…I"

Before she could continue, Reno placed a finger over her lips to keep her from talking. He leaned forward a little bit so that he was able to make level eye contact with her. As always, the redhead smirked.

"Don't worry about it now. The time's comin' soon enough for ya. Just remember Rusty, his decision, and his fate. A critical point in your life is close and it will determine the rest of your life from here on out, yo…I wonder how you'll fare?"

His features softened a moment as he stood back to his normal slouching height and walked away from the now speechless girl. Rude was now more than curious as to what decision she or any of them would be making that would be so critical. There was Rusty, but he was an odd case, at least, that was what he hoped. The bald Turk clamped down from asking any questions and just followed closely behind his partner.

"I'm gonna have a chat with Tseng, yo…Maybe I can use this to get 'em out of it…"

The last part drifted off to a soft mumble as Reno stared absentmindedly at the floor as he walked. Rude kept a careful watch of the area in front of them since the redhead was apparently oblivious to anything and anybody in front of him. After a couple of close calls with Rude yanking his partner out of harm's way, they arrived at Tseng's office.

"Wait here a minute, yo. Sorry, but ya can't hear this one."

He reached for the doorknob but stopped when it opened from the inside. Trenton emerged from the office pale and generally forlorn. He nodded sluggishly at the two Turks and drifted down the hallway. Reno shook his head and walked into the office closing the door behind him.

Rude stood stoically outside the office staring straight ahead. He figured it would not last long since nothing lasted very long with his partner. As the seconds ticked by, the large Turk was faintly surprised at the sudden noise from the office.

"What the hell, Tseng! Ya just saw that too ya know! Why now?! Why even ever?! Everythin's shown that it isn't necessary!"

The voice was most definitely Reno's. There was a small pause afterwards during which, Rude surmised, was Tseng attempting to talk calmly with an angry redhead. The silence was short lived as more yelling went on.

"They suck! That proves nothin', yo! Are they seriously tryin' to eliminate 'em all?!"

Taken at face value, the conversation meant absolutely nothing. However, there was definitely something more that he could not tell because of the one-sidedness of the conversation. He figured it must be something fairly significant for his partner to letting loose on their boss like that.

"What are ya…'Past events makin' it necessary?' That's bull and ya know it too…So tell me, who they testin' more?"

Reno's voice drifted off as he finished his question. There was more silence where there was most likely more of the conversation occurring but at a much softer level. Gathering his wits, Rude cleared his throat and did his best poker face. He did not think it mattered all that much since the redhead would have been quieter, but still, he did not want to let them know that he was eavesdropping, even if it was not by his choice.

"Hey, ya can come in now, yo."

Reno's voice drifted through the door at its usual tone and volume. Rude gently opened the door and shut it. The redhead was sitting on Tseng's desk with, as far as Rude could discern, a pout like a child denied a cookie.

"Ignore him for now. I want to address you on your nest mission. Are you up to it?"

"Yes, sir."

He agreed without hesitation. However, he had the feeling that the question was merely a formality. Even if he did not feel like it, there was no option to refuse.

"Good. As you already know, there was an information leak at your initiation mission. We also have reason to believe that the deaths of the most recent mission are linked."

Tseng folded his hands and placed them on top of a folder.

"While it is obvious more than one person is acting, we have confirmed the mole."

Rude was impressed to say the least. Either the mole was not very good or the Turks are really good. Despite his eagerness to get whoever caused the last few incidents, he could not help but feel like something was off. The soft grunt and small scowl from Reno confirmed his suspicions.

"Here is the file. Look it over. After talking with Reno, you will move out immediately. Our target had the day off so will be at home. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Tseng handed him the file to look over. Flipping through the pages, Rude had to lightly bite his tongue to keep himself from gasping at the picture. He quickly devoured the information on the target stealing a quick glance at his partner. From his earlier reaction, Rude wondered if that was who Reno was referring when he was yelling. Turning his attention back to the folder, he finished with the details and handed the folder back to his superior.

"Evidence has already proven your target guilty. However, if there should be more evidence, you are to collect it. Elimination is your main objective. "

"Sir."

Rude saluted smartly while Reno slithered off the desk and walked off without saluting. The bald Turk nodded his head once and chased after his partner. He caught up with him shortly and both walked resolutely to the elevators.

The ride downwards was silent with both Turks seemingly lost in their own thoughts. When the elevator dinged and slid open the doors, Reno slid out along with Rude. The redhead walked silently out of the building and pausing when the sun shone in his face.

"I…am going straight to hell, yo…"

He had a spacey look as squinted in the bright light. Rude walked up and stood beside him. He felt like that too at the moment.

"Whatever. Let's go, it ain't that far and I feel like walkin' yo."

With that, the redhead slinked towards the city and more specifically, towards the housing districts. He was whistling an unknown tune as they strolled peacefully through the streets and neighborhoods.

"Worried, big guy?"

Silence seemed like the safest bet.

"Take that as a yes. Sucks, don't it? But remember, you're a Turk, yo."

It never ceased to surprise Rude at how his partner could always tell what was wrong when he was positive there was nothing in his features that would give anything away. Most people could never begin to, and frankly, did not want to, guess what he was thinking or feeling.

Now, when he looked at his partner, he could clearly see that the redhead was tense and still somewhat upset at his conversation with Tseng. However obvious his anger and other limited emotions, he still could never really tell what Reno was thinking or feeling. Unlike himself, Reno was expressive with his face and could be called a person wearing their emotions on his sleeve. In spite of that, the redhead was a walking enigma. When a person should be happy, he was upset or sad. When a person should be sad, he would laugh. The emotions were there, he just seemed to apply them differently than most. And even then, Rude wondered if that was really what his partner really felt. He was not even going to begin on how confusing it was when Reno used his expressions to manipulate situations.

"This is it ya know…do or die, yo."

The sudden crack of laughter startled Rude out of his thoughts and to wonder if Reno was the thing that felt off. His humor came from nowhere and he was positive that Reno's mind was like a hamster on speed. It was forever moving from one thing to another. There was no rhyme or reason to his partner's thought processes. Rude wondered what kind of person laughed at this kind of situation even if the laugh held no mirth and only a bitter kind of irony.

"Funny how that keeps poppin' up, yo."

There was another small cackle from the redhead before he quieted down again. Rude eyed him warily from behind and swallowed any questions or comments. The remainder of the walk was thankfully in silence as both were too absorbed in their thoughts to talk about anything.

As they walked, they got ever closer to their target and the sickening lump in the pit of Rude's stomach got ever worse. He thought he could pass out from the feeling when they finally stopped at the door of a small apartment. Reno's fist hovered shortly away from the door. The redhead looked over his shoulder at Rude.

"In the end, it'll all be okay, yo."

He could not claim that there was any real emotion or feeling at all. It was sincere, but indifferent. It was confident and that very confidence was enough for Rude to be at perfect ease with the redhead despite the situation. He nodded his head once.

"Let's go then."

Reno knocked energetically on the door and waited patiently for the door to open. While they waited for an answer, Rude observed their surroundings. It went against his common sense to pull a job in broad daylight. In his opinion, "working in the shadows" was best done in the shadows. Then again, he only had humble opinions to offer. Then again, he noted how the people milling about were paying little to now attention to them. They feared the dark and thrived in the light. Turks were the shadows and in daylight, they felt perfectly safe. It was actually a perfect time to strike.

"Hold on, please hold on! Sorry!"

A mousy voice echoed from inside the small apartment. There was a large thud and the sound of heavy books being dropped around. The door finally opened to reveal a disheveled but cheery Desdemona.

"Hey, what a surprise! Come on in!"

The young secretary stepped to the side allowing them to step inside. Reno flashed her a million gil smile while Rude kept his traditional "hello" to being a nod of the head. He watched as Reno small talked with her and chuckled as he worked his away around various stacks of papers and books.

He wondered how the redhead did it. For Rude, he just had to keep a straight face and nobody would be able to pin any emotion. That was not the case with Reno though. He could expertly manipulate his emotions to have ay desired effect. The main thing was, it looked and even felt real. Desdemona did not even have the faintest clue as to why they were at her home. She kept chuckling nervously as she continued to profusely apologize for the mess.

"Really, if I would have known you were visiting I would have tidied up a bit."

"That'd involve tellin' ya a week or more in advance, yo!"

Again, a perfectly timed grin and wink sent her into a fit of giggles. Rude about choked on the air he was breathing when she looked right at him.

"You've been awfully silent…Ha, what am I saying? You're always silent. But really, what brings you to this part of the neighborhood?"

The bald Turk remained stone faced while he attempted to find a gentle way to tell her that she was a traitor to ShinRa and he was there to kill her. Fortunately for him, he had Reno for a partner.

"We're here to kill ya."

Perfect grin in place, it now made him look gleefully cruel. The young secretary stared at him with wide eyes in a probably attempt to decide if it was a joke or not. However, even though Reno's expression had not changed since he first arrived, there was a definite change in the atmosphere. She made a few sputtering noises and then faced Rude. He let out a small sigh and looked to the side confirming her worst fears.

"Oh my…W-what?...W-w-why?! What did I do?!!"

"It's not a good thing to let out little secrets when working for ShinRa. Rude, question her. I'm gonna find some evidence or somethin'."

Reno nodded his head towards her direction. Rude shook his head and walked over to her. For every step he approached, she took a shaky step back. It did not take long for her to run into a stack of papers causing her to tumble head over heels backwards and landed awkwardly on the floor.

"Who are you giving the information to?"

Rude was surprised at the level calmness to his voice. He stood a short distance away and straightened to add to his already intimidating figure. Desdemona shrunk lower to the floor while staring wide eyed at him. Small pools of tears were forming at the corner of her eyes.

"W-what are y-you t-t-talking about?!"

"We know you've been leaking information to an outside source. Who is it?"

"I-I-I d-don't know what you're talking about!"

The floodgates opened in her eyes and streams of salty liquid flowed freely down her face. As Rude towered over her, he could see the pure fear etched into her features. A part of him kept nagging at him. Something was off, but he was a Turk and he had a job to do. There could be no doubting now.

"Don't lie to me. We-"

"I don't know anything! Why won't you believe me?!"

Her voice was panicked and shrill as she screamed and cried. Desdemona wrapped her arms around her shaking figure in an attempt to comfort herself. Rude inhaled and clenched his jaw together as he struggled to maintain cool and detached. It was growing more difficult by the second. There was no way she could have done such a thing to the company. He was sure of it.

"Whatcha doin'? You're supposed to be getting' info from her, not havin' tea time, yo."

The redhead made his appearance again with a plain manila envelope in his hand. He shook his head and walked over to Rude.

"Got the evidence. Ya don't have to question her anymore 'cause we got all the contacts right here. Kill her, yo."

Both Rude and Desdemona snapped their heads to stare at Reno. He stared right back at the both of them and quirked an eyebrow.

"What? She's of no use to us now so kill her and we can get outta here, yo."

The silent Turk faced the secretary again and pulled out his gun. Her eyes were glazed over from tears and pure terror. She watched as Rude methodically attached the silencer to his weapon, released the safety and pointed it straight at her head.

"PLEASE STOP! I'm begging you! I didn't do anything, that evidence is fake! I'm telling you…just please don't!!"

Her pleas did not reach deaf ears. Rude kept his gun leveled but his finger twitched as it hovered over the trigger. Even though the evidence was right next him, Rude still wanted to believe Desdemona. From everything he had seen and known about her, she was far too innocent and dedicated to her work to do something underhanded like that. He struggled with the voice telling him she was innocent and the voice that was most likely Reno, though in the heat of the moment, he was unsure as to the voices he was hearing.

"Hurry up and do it already, yo! I ain't gettin' any younger here."

"Reno, Reno! What are you saying?! Please, you know I would never do anything like that! Why?! Why are you doing this to me?! I'm sorry! I'm sorry if it's something I've done, but I did NOT leak any information! Believe me!"

The redhead tilted his head to the side as he processed her request. Rude watched his partner watch the girl with a sort of morbid fascination.

"I'm not here to believe ya or not believe ya. I'm here to do what I'm ordered and _you_ Rude, are ordered to take her out. Ya already got the gun out, just pull the damn trigger already, yo."

Desdemona gaped at Reno. After a few second of what seemed like eternity, she widened her eyes again except it was not because of fear.

"You're…kidding…How…What kind of person are you?"

Rude was shocked at the sudden change in her voice and expression. It was now one of disbelief and something else, something like betrayal. He glanced at his partner out of the corner of his eye and saw Reno remain lazily placid as always.

"I'm a Turk, yo."

The secretary whipped her head around and turned her frantic eyes towards Rude.

"Rude! He's lying. He's lying about everything. That's not real, everything's fake. I'm innocent. Believe me. Turn that gun on him, on that monster!"

"Turn that gun on me and I will shoot you without hesitation."

His voice was its usual tone, but there was an edge to it that set Rude's danger senses off the charts. Reno was lightly tapping the folder against his leg as he waited for a response. He had no doubt that his partner would follow through with his threat.

Orders were orders. He was a Turk and therefore, he did whatever he was told by the executives. Reno made that clear on more than one occasion. Rude also knew that ShinRa was quite unforgiving to those who were a threat to the company.

"I'm sorry. Those are my orders."

Desdemona stared incredulously at him. Her stare shifted between the two Turks.

"Those are your orders? What are you people? You just do what they tell you to do blindly? You," She pointed a shaky finger at the redhead who pointed at himself questioningly. "You, know what they're doing and you still go through with it? You lead him on?! You are a despicable, lower-than-scum disease poisoning everybody around you."

Reno blinked a few times questioningly and then smirked in amusement.

"Pretty words aren't gonna save ya, sweetheart. Hurry up and do her in already, I'm getting' bored, yo."

Rude nodded his head and readjusted his grip on the gun. Desdemona looked up at him pleadingly.

"Listen to me. He's lying. I'm innocent and you know it too. I can tell. Shoot him and then we can run off until things cool off. Please…please listen to me."

As her voice drifted off, it was replaced by maniacal laughter from Reno. The redhead was smirking wider and stalked towards her.

"Shoot me and then run off? What kind of lame ass idea is that? One, I'd kill him before he could turn that thing on me. Two, I'd hunt ya down and then kill ya myself. And then, let's pretend ya do make it out with him, what do ya think you're gonna do with the other Turks chasin' after ya?"

He kneeled down so that he was eye to eye with her and grabbed her chin and forced her face about an inch away from his.

"Life really ain't fair, Darlin'. Just accept that now, yo. Now, be a good little girl and please die. I get no enjoyment out of this. The sooner this is done, the better."

Desdemona jerked her head away from Reno and tried to bite his hand. He quickly withdrew his hand and shook his head while standing up.

"Just finish this please."

In a final attempt to reach the one person who would listen, the young secretary pleaded desperately.

"Don't listen to him. Just don't listen to him. I don't want to die…Not like this. Not because of somebody like him…Why…Why don't you believe me?...You do…I can see that you do…"

Rude held his breath. He glanced to his side and noted the now visible tenseness in his partner's stance. Nothing made sense. Staring down the barrel of his gun, Rude studied the still crying woman in front of him. It was now or never. He realized that if he did not do this, Reno would kill him and then move on to Desdemona. Either way, she ended up dead.

"Goodbye."

With that final parting word, Rude pulled the trigger. There was no loud sound as the bullet being fired was muffled. There was just the sound of a splatter and thud.

"Let's go, yo."

Reno lightly tapped him on the shoulder as he walked by and stepped outside. Before following his partner, Rude gazed at the figure slumped at an awkward angle against the wall and floor.

Desdemona was still staring at him with wide eyes and tear stained cheeks. There was a single hole in her forehead. The picture was one of few words with a background painted in blood. The red stained the wall creating a grotesque, abstract design. Tearing his eyes away from the gruesome picture, Rude exited the cramped, paper-stacked house and shut the door.

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**A/N:** She needed to die. I'm glad she finally did. That sounded so mean. Oh well. So, how was it? It didn't sound lame or something, did it? The one fear I have with writing seriously is that it will come out sounding just plain dumb. I'm more of a comedic writer. Serious fiction is a bit harder for me to write for. Well, whatever the case, I actually did enjoy this chapter. Maybe that's just me and my sleep deprived little mind. I simply hope that all of you enjoyed reading this. Thanks for reading!


	8. Unfair

**A/N:** Wow, I finally updated. My apologies for not updating sooner, but classes put me in a tight bind. But, because you all left such wonderful and encouraging reviews, I forced time into my schedule to write. Hopefully I will be able to post some more this weekend to make up for this period of absence. But anyways, this first part of the chapter was hard to write. I'm not good at emotion or tension or whatever emotion looms over them, but I tried my hardest and after much revision, I came up with this. I really hope this doesn't sound fake, cheesey, dumb, or any combination of those. I attempted to proofread, but I'm also very tired so there may be a couple of mistakes I missed. But enough babbling on my part, on with the show!

I don't own FF VII.

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Rude gently shut the door to the apartment and took a shuddering breath. There was something that felt wrong when killing somebody like that. It was not just that he did not think it, but the fact that deep down, he knew she could not have done anything like that.

"Go figure, yo…"

He looked over at his partner who was thumbing through the pages of paper in the folder. Reno glanced over his shoulder and waved the papers.

"So, congrats on the first major kill of your career. Here ya go. I don't need these anymore."

The folder was tossed carelessly and Rude caught it easily. He glanced through the folder and stopped in his tracks when he read what was in it.

There was no evidence or anything else that could be used against her. All that was there were some papers that looked more like actual orders and a set of guidelines to follow afterwards. They were nothing more than instructions.

"What the hell?"

Reno tilted his head as he shifted his lazy gaze from the folder to Rude.

"What? Can't ya read?"

"Why would…"

A small smirk played on the redheaded Turks lips as he spun on his heel and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I put it there, yo. That night ya went out with her. That's why I was downstairs. I had just gotten back. I'll be honest, I wasn't expectin' ya guys back so soon."

Rude clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists smashing the folder in the process. His partner watched dispassionately and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Now the question is: what's goin' on in your head?"

"You knew?"

"Well, yeah. I had an idea. I mean, c'mon, would she really be guilty if I had to put the evidence in her house? I can be kinda slow sometimes, but really, give me some credit, yo."

The nonchalance in his voice continued to grate on Rude's nerves. Never had he ever felt this irate towards somebody else. Patience was one of his strong points, he knew that. However, his partner was proving that everybody has a limit.

"So, what are ya gonna do now?"

Without even thinking about it, Rude whipped around and landed a neat little punch on Reno's face sending him flat on his back.

"Damn...That hurts, yo..."

The redhead was sitting on the ground rubbing his cheek and still generally uncaring. He looked up at Rude and quirked an eyebrow.

"Right. So what now? And I mean what are you going to do as in involving the future, yo."

He picked himself off the ground and began dusting himself off. Rude watched in disbelief at how his partner did not care that somebody he claimed was a "friend" was framed and killed. It took every ounce of self-restraint he had to keep from hitting his partner again.

"Better head on back. Boss will probably want to know how things went, yo. Yeah, and the others should be back around now too. I'm curious to see how they did."

Reno trotted off in the direction of the company building still rubbing his cheek. He waltzed right pass Rude without further thought and even began whistling on his way back. The larger Turk clenched his teeth and then took a deep breath before following after his partner.

The walk back was uneventful and silent. At some point, Rude vaguely noted that the whistling stopped but was too absorbed in what just happened to do anything other than brood about it.

When they arrived on their floor, Reno stretched and pointed down the hallway.

"I'm gonna report in with Tseng, yo. He'll call ya in later."

As he began walking away, Rude had to ask.

"Do you feel any regret?"

Without missing a beat, Reno just waved over his shoulder.

"Nope. None at all, yo."

Rude just stood and stared at his partner's retreating back. If looks could kill, he would be burning holes straight through. Still, keeping himself in check, he decided to avoid just sitting around. He just needed to be moving or doing something else.

As he started walking, he soon passed the lounge and heard faint noises from the other side. Curious, Rude opened the door and stopped in the doorway.

"What the hell d'ya do to her?!"

Todd had Shanon pinned against the wall by the scruff of his shirt. On the couch was Victoria, hunched over and crying with Ryoko gently rubbing her back whispering things in her ear.

"I did nothing."

"Liar! She may be a big crybaby, but this...This isn't normal. This is wrong!"

To emphasize his last part, Todd pulled Shanon back and then slammed him against the wall again. The other Turk just calmly let himself be thrown around and yelled at.

"It was just a simple elimination mission. Nothing else. So why would she be like this?!"

"I-I killed somebody...b-b-but they w-were i-i-innocent...I'm n-nothing more than a m-murderer..."

Her voice broke and could no longer continue. What she said made Todd abruptly let go of Shanon and walk slowly over to his sister.

"What...What are you talking about?"

"The target was innocent."

Everybody whipped around to face Rude. He shifted his weight a little becoming slightly uncomfortable with all the attention on him. Todd stared at him in disbelief.

"Innocent?"

"I see. You killed an innocent too."

Ryoko silently stated the facts while still rubbing Victoria's back. She looked up sadly at Rude and shook her head.

"It's not fair, I know. Todd...his...he was guilty of stealing data from ShinRa and selling it off. But hers...and yours..."

She trailed off and seemed to be trapped in her own world as if speaking of the recent events were the key to unnerving everybody. Todd continued to stare off into space unsure of what to say or do while Victoria silently sobbed. Shanon straightened out his suit and leaned against the wall.

"Reno."

He nodded his head causing all the Turks to look up or in Rude's case, look behind himself. The redhead was leaning against the door frame observing the situation. Reno pushed off against the wall and walked in.

"Victoria. The boss wants to see ya."

Her head made a bobbing motion but her body did not move. Reno lightly tapped her on the head.

"That means now. Ya gotta make a report, yo. And ya can't be cryin' to do that now, can you? You're a Turk now, suck it up and do your job."

He patted her head gently making her look up. She continued to nod her head though now in a more nervous fashion. Todd was on him in an instant.

"Suck it up?! How the hell can you say that after what they made her do?!"

The redhead glanced sideways at the fuming Turk and shrugged.

"It's easy and it's the truth. Besides, they didn't make her do anythin'. Remember what I said about Rusty and making that choice? Still applies, yo."

Rude watched in silence as Todd just opened and closed his mouth but with no sound coming out while Ryoko helped Victoria straighten out her suit and hair. He was about to storm right over and start beating on Reno, but was surprised when Victoria cleared her throat.

"I-I...I'm going. Todd, it was my choice. I hated it, and I still do. It's not much of a choice, but...but it is one still. Now that I've made it...I'm going to see it through. Not just because it is my job, but as a human being that understands the consequences of actions."

She straightened her back and looked up at Reno.

"How do I look?"

"...Presentable enough, yo."

"..."

"Don't worry, Tseng doesn't care, yo. Just go and tell him what happened. Besides, you're far more better lookin' than the head of the weapons development department."

This got a small, weak giggle from her and a tiny smile from Shanon who walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll walk you over."

"Thanks."

Rude stepped to the side in order to let them pass. Todd just shook his head still in disbelief at what he had heard, but a light tap on the shoulder from Ryoko was enough to get him to move out of the room. He trailed slowly behind her and both soon disappeared from the room leaving only Reno and Rude.

"Who would have thought a mousy thing like her would deal with it so well?"

Reno walked behind the couch and leaned over it while staring at his partner. Rude was in mild shock. The little redhead just managed to walk in, tell them to suck it up and do their job after what they had to do? He was not going to accept that. Maybe, he should have waited a little while before engaging his partner so heatedly, but at the moment, nothing else really mattered except that he wanted answers.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why don't you regret today?"

"Why should I regret today?"

He had to take a deep breath to keep his anger in check but it was growing increasingly difficult since the redhead seemed to be so good at saying the wrong things.

"Do you regret your actions today?"

Reno looked at him curiously in his wait for an answer. After a few moments of silence, the redhead nodded his head once.

"I take that silence to mean yes. Alright then, you tell me what is regrettable about today, yo. Tell me why I should be lookin' back lost in the past."

"I...You...It shouldn't have been like that."

"That...is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard."

Reno pushed off from the couch and instead sat on the backing. He tilted his head as if in thought and then looked over his shoulder.

"No duh, it should be different. But ya see, and here's the kicker, it isn't. Unfortunately, we're kinda stuck with the past. It never goes away and no matter how much we want it to be different, it's not and won't ever be, yo."

The bald Turk crossed his arms and took a step forward. He stood his full height and looked down on his partner.

"So you just forget about and leave it at that?"

The redhead just shrugged and stared upwards.

"I guess if ya want to keep it to the bare minimum, then yeah."

Rude, at least at the moment, was not going to simply forget about what he did or was forced to do. It was wrong, he knew that, but trying to put it into words was something else entirely. No matter what he could say, he knew his partner could come up with a better retort. So, he was left overly frustrated at his inability to voice his reasonings and Reno did not even seem to be trying to understand. Between stress and his mounting anger, the urge to start beating on him was almost uncontrollable.

"Uh-oh, looks like I made ya mad, yo."

Sliding off the couch, Reno stood casually yet defensively. He seemed to be able to sense the impending lashing his partner was almost ready to give him. However, he just smirked at Rude goading him on.

"What's the matter? Ya know, your not makin' a very convincing point here, right?"

Was it his partner's goal in life to push everybody overboard? Rude silently pondered this as he brought his fist towards the redhead for the second time that day. However, Reno easily dodged the punch by ducking.

"'Kay, so your angry. What for? At who? She's dead, man. Nothin' ya can do about it now."

If he was not caught up in the current wave of emotion, Rude would have noticed the growing anger in Reno's tone of voice as well. Regardless, he continued his assault on his partner. Catching Reno off guard, Rude was able to grab the redhead's arm and twist it around forcing his back to the larger Turk who then grabbed tightly onto Reno's ponytail. The smaller Turk used his free hand to try and pry off his partner's death grip on his hair.

"Of course. She was right, maybe you don't have a soul. You just a coward doing whatever they tell you to do...a mindless puppet, lapdog, pet to do the master's bidding."

With a surprising snap, Reno popped the joint in his shoulder letting him snake it from Rude's grasp while his other hand quickly reached into his jacket and pulled out his switchblade. Bringing it up in a swift arc, he severed the ponytail freeing him. He rolled forward to get away and popped his shoulder in again as he stood up. His eye reflected waves of anger as he glared at his partner. A faint tinge of red on his cheeks appeared as he huffed.

"Ya jerk! Get off your judgmental, self-righteous high horse! Who gave _you_ the right to say I'm a coward for wanting to live?! What's wrong with you people? You say you want to be Turks yet here ya are spoutin' out nonsense. We made our choices. I decided I wanted to live. Who cares if it isn't worth much? Who cares if my life is worthless? It's still _my_ life! My life! I have every right to live, to do what it takes to keep on living!"

He was now panting somewhat heavily as he gathered his breath and attempted to calm down. Rude ceased his actions as he was too busy studying his partner's reaction. This would have to be the first time he had ever seen any real emotion from Reno. He figured the younger Turk had a temper, but not this kind. Rude remained stationary as the redhead took a deep breath.

"We aren't saints, we aren't defenders of truth and justice, we're Turks, we kill, lie, steal, and cheat, that's what we do. That's our job. We do what we're told because we have enough guts to keep on living, to keep doing what's needed to survive. Isn't that the basic instinct for everything? So, if ya can't handle that, then ya should quit now or do desk work 'cause I'll tell ya, it ain't easy bein' a Turk. People will love us one day and hate us the next. We don't do it for anybody except for ourselves."

By now, Reno was on sitting on the floor with his legs spread apart. He seemed to have calmed down considerably as he ran his hand through his now short red hair. Rude made a side note about his partner's speech pattern. It gradually dulled down again to the normal lazy drawl.

"It's not good to get emotionally attached. This is why there aren't many Turks, yo. They get all attached to somethin' or someone and then...I kill them."

There was something to the tone of voice he now used. Rude could not exactly describe it correctly since it was something foreign to him. It was perhaps, sad, or angry, or apathetic or something else entirely. He then made a connection.

"Is that...what happened to your previous partners?"

Reno stared at him blankly for a moment and then slowly nodded his head. He chewed on his bottom lip a moment as though he were debating whether or not he should talk about it. With a sigh, Reno recalled his partners.

"The first guy I met...He was ordered to take out a love interest, but refused to do it...So I shot him and the girl, yo. I was just as new as you when that happened."

It suddenly hit Rude. The impact of the situation he had been in. If he had not shot Desdemona, then both of them would be dead right now. Reno would have killed them both. Despite how guilty he felt for feeling like this, Rude was glad that he pulled the trigger. Thinking about Reno's words, in the end, he wanted to live too.

"The second guy as about six months after...He finished the job, dealt with it pretty well since the target was definitely guilty. But then, I shot him. For no reason at all other than that they told me to. If ya haven't guessed yet, they're big on checkin' your loyalty and all that, yo."

Reno, not quite sad, but not exactly apathetic either, stared off into space as he seemed to be lost in his memories. Rude studied his partner and realized there was a whole lot more depth than what first appears.

"I had a third partner, but...nah, that's not important, yo."

He was curious as to what made the last partner unspeakable, but did not press for it. There was no need to. Rude heard more than enough to begin to understand the Turks and Reno.

"Times are changing...It's not the same anymore. But, we deal with it, yo. Even when it keeps on changin', we'll still be around. Right then...what was I yellin' about earlier?"

Rude stared incredulously at his partner. After watching Reno's sudden overflow of emotion, he began to forget why he was so upset in the first place. Letting what the redhead said sink in, Rude realized that he needed to think about it a little more. He was a professional. While he may not fully agree or at least, was not totally sure of what his partner had said, he did acknowledge that Reno had a better grasp of the situation. It was hard for him to remember that the redhead had been a Turk longer than he had been.

"I don't know."

Reno smirked as Rude also plopped down on the floor finally feeling the exhaustion that comes with frustration and anger. Looking down, he noticed he still had a long wad of bright red hair in his hand. Holding it up for Reno to see, he chucked it over to him.

"I've always been told that my temper would get the best of me, yo...Well, it got the best of my hair...Whatever, Tseng always did nag me about that. At least I didn't cut it all off. No offense to the cueball look, but somebody's got to be the good lookin' one."

Again, he ran his hand through his hair and chuckled softly. It was frustrating. Rude wanted so badly to keep being angry at the redhead, but found himself unable to. He came to the conclusion that is was impossible to stay upset at him for too long. Perhaps he was too understanding, but whatever the case, all his anger had fizzled out. Granted, he still wanted more answers, but hopefully, there would be less hair drama.

"So, we at least come to an agreement not to put me in a stranglehold?"

"For now."

A smirk was now plastered across his face. With a seemingly newfound well of energy, Reno bounced onto his feet and stretched. Rude remained on the floor a little while longer. There was no way for him to figure it out, but somehow, they managed to come to apologize and come to an agreement without actually doing such things. While he was still unsure of some things, Rude realized that maybe Reno was not completely sure either, but was okay with it. He too decided that it was okay to not know or understand everything.

Slowly standing up, Rude was silently thankful that there was no longer any tension nor any need for sappy apologies and whatnot. There was still a lot of thinking to do and the feelings he felt after taking the life of an innocent were still there, but maybe that was a good thing. It let him know who he was, what his job was, and why he does his job.

"Hey, ya gotta pen on ya?"

Without thinking about why his partner would require a pen at the moment, Rude pulled one out of his pocket and handed to Reno. The redhead had a small sheet of paper out from somewhere inside his jacket and was currently writing something down. After finishing his note, he walked passed Rude and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's go to Tseng's office for a minute, yo."

It should have been simple enough, but Rude had a strange feeling that, when Reno said they should go to their boss' office, it sounded like trouble. Then again, he got those feelings a lot around him.

He trailed behind his partner going through various options as to why they would be going to his office. Rude decided he would be optimistic and say they were going to give their report.

However, any delusions of obedient report giving were blown away when Reno knelt down and pulled out a couple of pins and an identification card.

"What are you doing?"

That was probably a dumb question since it was fairly obvious what the redhead was doing, but something needed to be said and that was about all he could come up with. It actually came out more as a warning than anything else, but because it was Reno, that flew right past him.

"Tseng was just called for a meeting after meetin' with Victoria. So, I gotta break in 'cause he ain't here."

Rude was about to grab his partner by the back of his jacket and yank him away when there was a sudden click and beep.

"Gotcha."

The door opened a little bit letting Reno slip inside. Rude decided to stay outside of the office and just hope that his superior did not return anytime soon. While waiting, he began to study the lock that was just picked in order to keep his mind off of the day's previous events.

It was a fairly standard lock mechanism used for important places. It was a combination of a card scanner and traditional lock. He was impressed despite himself at how fast his partner managed to bypass everything. All he could do was hope Tseng would not return anytime soon.

Not too long after, Reno came back out again and shut the door checking the handle to make sure it locked into place. Positive that nothing seemed out of place, the redhead smirked and waltzed down the hallway.

"Should I be concerned you do that?"

"What, break in? Nah...unless ya got somethin' to hide, yo...Then ya might wanna."

They walked back to their apartment and settled down in the living room with a lot of booze between them. It turned out, unsurprisingly enough, Reno did most of the talking and surprisingly enough, he also managed to answer most of Rude's questions. He explained to some degree the inner workings of the company and their somewhat paranoid approach to people. Reno also explained, in more detail, the Turks' general mission among their other various side jobs.

When the conversation died down a bit, Rude took a look out of the window and noticed it was dark out. Looking over at Reno, he shook his head. The redhead was sprawled on the couch still holding a bottle of beer.

"'Kay, I think I'm gonna go ta bed, yo...Yeah, bed..."

He rolled unceremoniously off the couch and dragged himself over to his room. Rude pushed himself out of the chair and followed suit. Not really sure as to how many drinks he just put away, he just left it at enough to make him not care. It seemed so much easier to handle when the world was spinning. It was no wonder the Turks had a reputation for enjoying their booze.

Not particularly caring about tomorrow, Rude set about going to bed. As he lay down to sleep, he faintly heard noises from the other side of his room's wall. Reno was doing something in his room to cause racket, but in the long run, Rude just did not care and soon fell asleep.

Rude knew that he dreamed. He thought maybe it had something to do with Desdemona, or maybe not. He was not really sure because when he woke up, he could not remember much about anything except that he was royally drunk last night. As he recalled last night's drinking, he realized he did not have a hangover like he should. Faintly, in the back of his mind, he thought he had heard a door open and shut earlier. He wondered if Reno sneaked in at some point and used his materia that he so wonderfully manipulates.

Regardless, Rude stretched as he pulled himself out of bed and dragged himself to the shower.

After changing into a new uniform, he stepped out of the room to find Reno already up and taking his customary position in front of the coffee machine. Besides looking a little tired, the redhead did not seem to be suffering from any hangover either.

"Why do they call it instant coffee when it isn't instant at all? Not to mention it's got no kick whatsoever, yo. So, that leaves poor 'lil me to wait for this crap to brew."

The contents he was already drinking did not seem to please him as he would periodically take a sip and blanch at the taste. Rude cracked his neck as he walked over to see the progress of the caffeine machine. The redhead passed him a cup of black, and frighteningly thick, black substance.

"Try it. I dare ya."

"I'm not drinking tar."

"Ha...Tar...Yeah, that's probably pretty close to it, yo. Damn coffee..."

"You don't have much patience, do you?"

"Not when I want a freakin' cup of coffee!"

Rude softly chuckled at how wound up his partner could get over the littlest of things. Thinking back to the short period of time he had been with him, Rude was could not exactly pinpoint when or what made Reno angry. Just the tiniest of things or events would set him off.

"It is finished."

His partner eagerly grabbed the pot and poured it into a new cup and handed it over to Rude. Reno seemed infinitely happier after his first sip. The bald Turk grabbed a new mug himself and poured a cup. He watched it spill out and was thankful that it did not have a viscosity rivaling molasses.

"Oh, today is your lucky day, man. Not only do ya get to do paperwork, but ya also get to babysit!"

"Babysit?"

"Rufus Shinra. Tseng's gonna be occupied a little later and while he's doin' whatever it is he does, we get to watch little lord brat. Thankfully, all he wants to do today is go out for somethin'. Don't know what, but it shouldn't last that long. It ain't really our turn for guard duty yet."

Right, the sole heir of the ShinRa company. Rude had heard about the infamous Rufus Shinra. Well, being a bodyguard was simple enough, at least that was what he hoped. He peacefully pondered him while finishing off his cup of coffee.

Reno had already finished his and was back in his room doing something. Rude walked back to his own bedroom and restroom to brush his teeth. It was not like it was that important, but he hated the way his mouth tasted if he did not.

As he methodically brushed at his teeth, it struck him as odd at how mundane his thoughts were. The entire morning thus far was spent thinking about coffee thickness and brushing teeth. Thoughts of yesterday never occurred to him once. Well, now they did, but as he thought about it, Rude was surprised to find that it did not bother him nearly as much as he thought it would. He realized the odd paradox that he was in. He was feeling guilty over not feeling guilty.

While letting the water clean off his toothbrush, Rude tilted his head to the side lightly as he studied himself in the mirror. As he studied his reflection, he saw no changes. He looked like his always had when nothing ever happened. At what point in the short time of becoming a Turk did his emotions seem to shut off? Maybe they were still there, just now, he was numb to them, but even that was odd to him. Then, he realized how dumb he must be for thinking all of that just because he brushed his teeth. Shaking his head, he put away his toothbrush and walked back to the main room.

"What were ya doin'?"

His partner was watching him amusedly with the same lop-sided smirk he always had on. Rude just told him it was nothing and that he was ready to go. Reno stared at him a few minutes longer before shrugging and exiting the room.

"Whatever man."

They walked down the hallway, entered a larger area with multiple corridors, took a side one, and walked some more. The Turk's offices were coming up and Rude wondered if Reno actually had an office. All Turks had some sort of work space they were delegated to, but considering who his partner was, that idea struck him as odd.

When they came to a series of offices, he paused in front of a door leading to one of the work spaces. Rude hoped that this was actually their designated office and they were not breaking into another person's office like yesterday. A small wave of relief flowed over him when Reno pulled out his I.D. Card and a small key-like device. He swiped the card over the sensor allowing him to twist the key in the lock opening the door.

"Welcome to our office...It doesn't get used much..."

That was quite obvious since the room was completely empty save for a couple of desks that were pretty much bare. The only thing around was a stack of papers on one of the desks.

"Can't keep puttin' it off. Paperwork is the major downside to this job, yo."

The redhead grabbed a small chunk of the papers with disgust and handed some to Rude who just looked at his partner questioningly.

"Yeah, that means you too big guy. Most things just require us to sign off on things. I wouldn't bother readin' everything."

Grabbing the desk by the far wall, Reno pulled out a wooden chair and sat down. He then began opening and closing all the drawers. Not even bothering to ask what he was doing, Rude just took the other desk and sat down while pulling out a pen.

After glancing through multiple sheets of paper filled with bureaucratic nonsense, Rude decided that paperwork was definitely one of the most mundane aspects of being a part of the working force. While it was boring, Rude decided not to like or dislike it, but view it merely as paperwork that needed to be finished.

There was then a soft beep and click as the door to their space was opened.

"That's why I couldn't find him."

Rude immediately stood up and saluted as Tseng stepped into the office. He nodded his head letting the large Turk drop into a more neutral stance.

"How did you get him in here?"

"He came on his own, sir."

The Wutaian Turk raised a fine black eyebrow in amusement as he studied the redhead. In the small span of time that was spent in the office, Reno somehow managed to fall asleep on top of his desk. There was a small stack of papers that he had gotten through, but a fairly large stack without any signatures.

"I suppose I can give him credit for trying. Anyways, I want to hear your report about yesterday. If you would come to my office please."

"Sir."

Rude obediently followed after his boss while gently closing the door. They padded down the hallway a few doors down and Tseng unlocked his own office door. Rude stepped inside and stood at attention in front of the field commander's desk.

"From what I've been told, you and Reno have seemed to come to an understanding of sorts. And somewhere along the path of enlightenment, flaming red hair made its way into my desk drawer."

"...Yes sir..."

He wondered how much of their "understanding" Tseng knew about. As far as he could remember, nobody else was in the room with them. But then, they were also probably being quite loud about it so chances were, people heard it even if they did not want to. Tseng would know if only for the fact that he must have found a lump of Reno's hair in his desk drawer.

"That is good. Now, as for yesterday's mission, I congratulate you on your success and I apologize."

Here, Tseng paused and took a deep breath. He seemed to be trying to collect his thoughts and trying to word things clearly.

"As I'm sure you are aware of, targets can be guilty or innocent. Depending on how the company evaluates you determines your target. In taking the life of an innocent, you are forced to realize the responsibility and the weight that comes with the job. Now you know why you must do your job without question and as efficiently as possible. You are not allowed to forget the burden you now carry for it will keep you motivated to do the job. Because if you don't, innocent people will die whether by accident or design."

Again, he paused and took another deep breath. Rude absorbed the information and was shocked at the cruelty and effectiveness of such a strategy. Was that why Reno was so set on always doing his job no matter what, because he knew from first hand experience what the consequences were for failing his job? He knew there was more to it than that, but it did offer him more insight as to how his partner functioned.

"So, from what I can tell, you seem to be handling the situation just fine."

"Yes sir."

"I see..."

Tseng closed his eyes as he leaned his weight to the back of the chair. After a few moments of silence, he opened his eyes and stared seriously at Rude.

"Now what about Reno? I am going to extend an offer to change partners if you feel as though you will not be able to function with him. Normally, such an offer would never be considered, however, given the situation and previous circumstances, I feel that it is in everybody's better interest this way."

There were those "previous circumstances" again. Reno had alluded to past events quite vaguely leaving Rude with nothing to work with. It must have to do with Reno's previous partners, but there must have been much more to it.

"Are you...referring to his last partners?"

"Ah, so he told you. Though, I doubt he told you much about his last one, am I right?"

He nodded his head allowing the field commander to continue.

"While these tests are to break in new recruits, they are just as much if not more of a test for the partners, particularly Reno. You know quite well what I mean."

"To keep him in line."

"Exactly. Reno already has a bit of trouble when it comes to authority and with a company as obsessed with control through authority, they have a firm basis for paranoia."

The thought of how Reno managed not to get himself killed off for just being an avid rule bender always was a bit fascinating for Rude. The redhead definitely got away with many things, which would be odd considering how strict ShinRa was with its workers.

"Additionally, the company would be hard-pressed to find a Turk to take his place. Reno's skills are a major asset to the company and the Turks and he would be quite difficult to get rid of anyways. So, they find it easier to let him believe he has his freedom while sporadically putting him in situations that clearly state that he does not belong outside of the company...A gilded cage method of sorts."

"But...he knows it..."

"Indeed. Reno's sharp. He picks up on things most people would never notice. He also understands the ways of the world far better than most people his age or even older. Put that together with his natural and trained skills, his unique entrance into the Turks, and you get the best wild card you can have."

It must be frustrating for him. Reno must be so frustrated with how he has to live his life. The company thinks that they have him in their control and he is blind to it. He probably even lets them believe that. However, it must be so much harder on him since he knows exactly what they are doing and knows that he is pretty much powerless to do otherwise. Rude, in a simple, short conversation, was beginning to see a little deeper into his partner's mind and behavior.

"Listen to me. Turks are merely tools to be used by the company. However, what sets us apart from the others is that we have the perfect ability to strike any of these people down at any moment, but we choose not to. In doing so, we remain free from the company's power and survive."

Rude recalled Reno pointing out the same thing though with far less eloquence. The more he learned about the inner workings of ShinRa and met some of the executives, the more he would enjoy killing off a few. However, knowing that the only thing keeping someone from being nothing but a corpse was his own self-will was enough to keep him content.

"Reno is an almost perfect blend of the two. He thinks for himself, yet his general apathy towards most situations make him an ideal choice for the more...unsavory aspects of our job. The downside to this though, is it can lead to his...instability at times."

"Instability, sir?"

True, he had not known Reno for very long, but he was not sure if "instability" was a viable description of him. The redhead had his major moments of unpredictability and mood swings, but he was pretty temperamental when he was young, but maybe not in such an obvious way. Still, from what he could tell, the redhead seemed to have it together than most people around here.

"Consistency has never played a major part in Reno's life...Probably anything with 'constant' in it is missing...But anyways, to change topics, what is your decision?"

"Stay."

"A quick answer...You really are a unique one..."

"Is that all sir?"

"...Indeed. I'm pleased to know you will be standing by. You may go."

"Sir."

Rude saluted smartly before leaving the office with a new kind of determination. In the end, things would work out for the best.

The redhead may be a handful, but Rude was never one to back down from a challenge. Besides, Reno would definitely keep things interesting. He was not about to up and leave just because he felt uncomfortable. Who knew what the redhead had to put with so Rude figured he could endure it. Besides, it would not be fair to Reno. Even though life is unfair, more so to some than others, this would at least be one thing that was not.

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**A/N:** I swear, it took me like 15 minutes to word that last sentence just right. For some reason, my mind never once made the connection of using the negative form. I'm brilliant that way (voice dripping with sarcasm). So what did you all think? Things should get lighter or rather, the horribly mean deaths end for a bit. But yes, Rufus Shinra is making his grand appearance next chapter, but more on that next time. So, next chapter there will be verbal wit (I hope), drama, and a good old fashioned shoot 'em up. Okay, so people are going to die, but they bear no importance whatsoever. With that said, I thank you all and hope you enjoyed reading this!


	9. Bodyguard

**A/N:** Hoo-rah, another chapter. This one is just kind of fun compared to the others. Nothing too serious, just setting up for more little plot bunnies, introducing characters, and tying this in with Before Crisis. Oh right, towards the end, Reno starts using a lot more "yo" at the end just to annoy the president. I suppose it would be since it sounds so weird. I realize that it is far different in Japanese. It bears absolutely no meaning. It's like he's warping the copula or something. I mean, there isn't even an english equivalent really. "Yo" just seems to be the most popular way to transliterate his speech patterns even though it sounds kind of funny and totally gangster wannabe. Whatever, I know how it's used in Japanese, but in english, it's a little harder to place correctly. But the point is, I wrote it this way just to show lazy speech. In actuality, Reno ends everything with "dazo to" or "to" in Japanese and it's accepted as normal. Yet another reason to love such a distinct redhead.

I don't own FF7

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"Where d'ya go?"

"Tseng."

"Did he like my present?"

"Thrilled."

"Good...So, what's got ya in such a good mood?"

Reno was currently searching throughout his entire desk, pulling out drawers, moving his chair around and at one point, got on top of the desk.

"Nothing...What are..."

"Well, I figured we'd be in here a lot so I'm figurin' out the best places to hide things, and all that other stuff, ya know?"

No, he really did not know, but that was just him. Rude continued to watch the redhead almost rip apart his desk with mild curiosity. Even if he did sit through an explanation, there was a good chance he would not follow. Reno's mind always seemed off in another world.

"Man, why do we gotta babysit that brat? I mean, it's better than paperwork, but still, not the greatest way to spend my day."

Not really sure where that topic came up from, but whatever the case, Rude just nodded his head in agreement even though the redhead could not see the motion. As he watched Reno ransack the desk, he suddenly thought of a pretty good question.

"How much older are you?"

"One...and maybe like a half or somethin'...I dunno...Two maybe? How old is he? I dunno, he's younger than me."

"Yeah, so much older."

"Hey, older is older."

The redhead paused and slowly scratched his head as if in deep thought. With a minor shrug, he went back to opening and closing drawers leaving Rude to stare in wonderment.

"You, near a desk? I think the world went crazy when I was asleep."

"The world ain't crazy, sir...Ya ain't rulin' it all yet, yo."

Reno did not even bother to pause and acknowledge the visitor. With one look, Rude recognized who he was standing next and actually caring about formalities, saluted.

"Sir."

"So, you're one of the new ones. By what unfortunate means did you wind up with _that_ as a partner?"

Rude just stood silently not completely sure as to what was currently happening at that moment. Their visitor shrugged lightly and crossed his arms authoritatively.

"Name."

"Rude."

"Another four letter name starting with 'r.'"

"Good for you, sir. You can count letters in a name, yo."

"Is it wise for you to smart off to me, Rufus Shinra? Your future boss...oh wait, I already am your boss."

The redhead looked up from what he was doing and not so discretely whispered to Rude.

"He lives in a delusion of grandeur. Just smile and nod, yo."

Reno's sarcasm did not seem to faze the young businessman at all. In fact, it seemed to entertain him and the two appeared to almost make a game out of it. Granted, a bit of a dangerous one, one that Rude had no desire to participate in, but a game nonetheless.

"And unfortunately, that is all he is good for. I do hope you are not anything like him? Oh, how inconsiderate of me. I should not associate everything near Reno as being so dense...It's just Reno."

Rufus Shinra. For being about a year or so younger than Reno, he cut a far more impressive figure. He was shorter than the redhead, but that would probably change in a few years and his build was perhaps not so wiry, but rather, it was just slender. His blue-eyes were bright and sharp accented by perfectly in place blond hair and an immaculate white suit. Everything screamed superiority and maybe even neurotic. In essence, he seemed the exact opposite of Reno.

"Tck, ya really are a pain, yo. C'mon young dictator, I get the pleasure of babysittin' today."

"Your pleasure, my torture."

"That's my line, yo."

Rufus smirked at the redhead and crossed his arms defiantly causing Reno to approach him warily.

"We're going out."

"Ya kidding?"

"No. Let's go."

"Yes sir."

Both Rude and Reno answered simultaneously and followed after Rufus. It did not take long for Reno to resume his customary position of questioning his authorities.

"Where are we goin'?"

They had been walking around the upper plates of Midgar for a while now and every turn they took just meandered them towards downtown. The young Shinra took his time walking, curtly nodding every now and then to some upper class businessmen, and generally acting like there was not a care in the world.

"Does it really matter?"

"Just curious as to why we're wanderin' around. I mean, are ya lookin' for somebody to kidnap ya?"

"As thrilling as that would be, that would mean depending on you."

Reno snorted and looked over at Rude.

"Maybe I'd just leave ya, yo...What's your problem? Relax a little."

He poked Rude in the side. The bald Turk did his best to keep from sighing. No, he was not going to relax when he was on duty. While ShinRa was a vital part of the city, there were still some who were paranoid about big business and wanted to see it fall. He was currently guarding the president's son. Anything could happen especially in crowded places.

"Perhaps, Reno, he merely has a sense of propriety and obligation."

"He's pro-what?"

"He does his job."

"Hey, I do my job too, yo."

As proud as he was that Rufus said that about him, Rude still tried his best to drown the two out. Instead, he concentrated on their surroundings and the packed crowds of people filling the roads.

"Ya really are tryin' to get kidnapped."

Reno was shoving his way through the crowd in an attempt to keep up with Rufus.

"Whatever makes you say that?"

"'Cause your always schemin' somethin and none of this makes sense, yo."

Rufus looked over his shoulder with an expression of surprise.

"Reno, must you be so cynical? I'm hurt you would think so."

"Right. Hurt about it...Oh, judgin' from that face, ya saw 'em?"

Rude was a little surprised at Reno's observation since he had been so preoccupied with smarting off to Rufus. Indeed there were a few questionable people who were doing a poor job concealing themselves as they followed a short distance behind.

"Let him make the first move, yo. Don't worry, Rufus is probably plannin' on it."

Now that was surprising. The ShinRa heir had been just as involved with the conversation with Reno. Between the two of them, it was kind of impressive that they could do that and pick out a potential threat.

"If I did get kidnapped, what would you do?"

The redhead turned his attention back to Rufus.

"I'd leave ya for a little while. Ya know, let the kidnappers have the headache for once."

"I give you a headache? I am the one who has to be around you."

"And ya love every minute of it, yo."

Reno patted Rufus on the head, but quickly pulled his hand away.

"Gross, yo. What's in your hair?"

He wiped the palm of his hand across his pant leg while Rufus huffed and moved to make sure no hair was misplaced.

"It's called hair gel, fool."

"Why do ya use hair gel?...Your hair is straight, yo."

"Why do you think my hair always looks perfect?"

As to emphasize the point, Rufus brushed a stray strand of blond hair and indeed, it was perfect.

"You must use hair gel...Holy Gaia, you don't."

Rufus roughly patted the top of Reno's hair causing the the redhead to swat at the offending hand.

"Course not. I don't need gel for my hair. It looks perfect on its own, yo."

"Perfect?"

Rude found it amusing that Reno declared his hair perfect when it generally looked like a catastrophe.

"Shuddup. Ya don't got hair so your opinion doesn't count."

It now dawned on him that he was being unwittingly sucked into their conversation. Thinking back, Rude wondered how they got on the topic in the first place.

"_What_ taught you to speak, Reno?"

Reno snorted indignantly at Rufus.

"Why? Ya got somethin' against the way I talk?"

"Oh nothing. You just sound so boorish and illiterate, that's all."

"I ain't boo...bor...bir...whatever, yo, I ain't that. Sheesh, help me out here!"

Reno punched Rude in the shoulder eliciting nothing from the Turk.

"Unlike you, Rude apparently understands the finer points of silence."

"Fine. I just won't talk, yo."

The redhead crossed his arms and glared like a petulant child. Rufus smirked and glanced sideways at the larger Turk.

"This won't last long. Reno will inevitably fail."

"Will not, yo."

"See? I rest my case."

Grumblings of swear words and other profanities streamed from the redhead as he glared after Rufus who was beginning to walk away from them.

"I am going to the restroom. Wait here, I want my privacy."

"Fine, yo."

Rufus smartly walked off to a store leaving behind the two Turks.

"Guess he's impatient, yo."

Rude looked questioningly at his partner. Despite what they were told, it was stupidity to leave Rufus alone especially with potential dangers lurking nearby. He was about to protest when he caught himself with an idea. Looking over at the redhead, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Yup, ya got it, yo...Man, I've been itchin' for a good 'ole fashioned beat down."

He had to agree. As mean as it may sound to others, Rude did not want any more violent surprises. He wanted to simply beat on a regular person like any normal Turk would.

"Look at him...Told ya he's always plannin'."

Rufus calmly waltzed over to a nearby store, passing by an alley before disappearing down said alley.

"Guess that's our cue, yo...Sheesh...What a pain he can be sometimes."

Both Turks silently crept to the alley and watched as Rufus compliantly walked away with a gun barrel jammed against his back. His calmness seemed to be unnerving to his captor.

"Don't look so smug. Nobody is gonna save you. Your two precious Turks were fools to let you go alone."

Rude saw Rufus smirk. Even though the kidnapper attempted to sound confident, he failed miserable. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself more than anybody else.

"Scratch that about this bein' a pain. This is gonna be fun, yo. I hope there's lots of 'em and they're all as dumb as this guy."

Where the sudden violent tendencies came from, nobody knew, but Rude did know that this was definitely not going to be a routine walk in the park. They waited patiently for Rufus and and his kidnapper to disappear around a corner before trailing them.

"Ya know, not to be a downer or anything, but this could get outta hand if they have lots of guns...Ah well, more fun for me, yo. How 'bout you?"

"Yeah. Fun."

"Whatcha findin' so funny?"

Rude realized he was smirking ever so faintly earning him an odd sideways glance from the redhead.

"Your idea of fun."

"C'mon man! Doesn't a gun fight sound like fun?"

"Why a gunfight?"

The question was not supposed to be funny, at least, Rude had no intention of it being as such, but for some reason, the redhead chuckled and smirked.

"It's Rufus. We'll leave it at that."

He nodded his head in agreement. The "just wait and see" policy seemed to be a code of life for the redhead in dealing with situations. Not the most useful when trying to assess the situation, but Rude did not think this was going to be all that difficult so he decided not to worry.

"Our lives, could so be a like a movie or a game or somethin'."

Rude figured the redhead was referring to their location. They followed the kidnapper to an old warehouse on the edge of the upper place. It really did remind him of a movie.

They sneaked quietly up to the side of the building and looked around. Reno motioned to a stack of boxes and the windows lining the upper level.

The redhead bounded up the boxes with Rude following at a steadier pace. When he reached the top, he squatted next to his partner.

He tentatively pushed against the window frame. It did not budge an inch and upon closer inspection, Rude noticed the old fashions clasp holding the window closed. With a quick motion to Reno, the redhead nodded and pulled out a switchblade. With a couple of quick wrist movements, the blade was locked into place.

Carefully sliding the blade under the window frame, he began gently wiggling it back and forth. In a few moments, there was a soft click letting both Turks know the window was unlocked.

Rude looked over at Reno who nodded his head. They redhead slipped inside and landed silently on the narrow landing. After quickly looking around, his partner motioned that everything was clear. Before entering himself though, Rude caught the redhead watching him with a smirk. It would be a little more difficult for him to get through the smaller window. He grunted at his partner then carefully slid through with no major difficulty all the while glaring at the smirking redhead.

"Get the president on the phone!"

"Right."

There were a small group of men standing towards the center of the warehouse. Rude wondered if they came up with this plan on a napkin. This was one of the dumbest set ups he had ever seen. It appeared that Rufus thought so as well.

The young businessman was not restrained at all. Apparently, that was going to be a critical mistake. With incredible speed, Rufus pulled out a one-handed shotgun and effectively blew the phone to smithereens preventing them from making any more phone calls. He smirked confidently at them all.

"You really are the most pathetic idiots around."

"You little bastard!"

The supposed leader screamed in frustration as he moved to pull out his own handgun. Rufus remained calm and confident as he whipped the gun around leveling it with the leader's head.

"Your move."

At that point, Reno jumped over the railing landing unceremoniously on top of another kidnapper drawing the leader's attention. The distraction was enough for Rufus to fire his gun, disarming him. Rude ran over to him and quickly pulled him from the center and behind some discarded junk.

"Are you alright sir?"

"Wonderful actually."

He stood up and fired another round followed by Rude. Reno took a more direct approach and was currently wreaking as much havoc as possible with his EMR. Rude and Rufus took out anybody outside of Reno's range or they had guns.

In no time at all, the warehouse was littered with bleeding, twitching, or combination of both, bodies. Just as he had predicted, there was a gunfight and it was fairly fun. Speaking of the redhead, Reno was now nudging a twitching body with the toe of his shoe distractedly.

"That was fun, yo. Is this why ya wanted to go out, sir?"

Rufus walked over to examine the body as well.

"There had been word of anti-ShinRa activity. I was merely curious."

Rude came over to join them only to find out what was so interesting since Rufus also took to nudging the body. Upon closer inspection, the bald Turk discovered that the person was dead. So that was why. For some reason, he had to resist the urge to nudge it as well.

"Tseng's gonna get his panties in a bunch for this one, yo."

Rude stepped off to the side to inform their leader and to get away from the morbidly interesting twitching body.

"Clean up crew to Sector Four, Warehouse 3B. Yes, sir. He is fine. No sir, he's-"

He instinctively ducked and searched for Rufus when a gunshot echoed throughout the warehouse. Looking around, he saw Rufus sprawled on the floor with Reno staring angrily towards one of the windows.

"Watch him!"

Before Rude could say anything, the redhead was out of the warehouse chasing down whoever fired the shot. Making his way over to Rufus, Rude was relieved to see the young heir picking himself up.

"Hmph. Were it any other instance, I would shoot him for shoving me."

Rufus began dusting off his white suit angrily rubbing at a dirt spot.

"Tell him I'm fine before he has a coronary."

Rude had forgotten that Tseng was till on the line. Placing the phone to his ear, he had to quickly pull it away.

"Sir, sir...Everybody is fine. Mr. Shinra is safe. Reno is giving chase now. Yes sir, I will."

He folded his PHS as he stepped up behind Rufus.

"Once Reno returns, we're going back."

"Yes sir."

Still rubbing at his suit, Rufus walked over to some boxes, examined the surface and then sat down. He continued to smooth and pick at his still pristine white suit while Rude kept a diligent lookout from any other hostile or for his partner. As occupied as Rufus appeared to be, he still had his weapon out lying on his lap. He caught Rude looking at it.

"I decided I would not be like my father and be completely useless. Tseng suggested that I learn to us a gun. Reno more or less told me to use this one."

He chuckled softly as he stroked the shiny barrel and then looked down its sight as if he were remembering that moment.

"He has good ideas once and a while."

"Once and a while? Ya mean all the time, yo...And stop pointin' that thing at me."

The redhead was leaning against a wall breathing slightly heavier than normal.

"You couldn't catch him?"

"Not before runnin' into a crowd, yo...And I know Tseng would chew me out for causin' mass panic."

"You're not as dense as you look, Reno."

"Shut up, sir. Let's get outta here before Mr. Prissy Pants decides to do something else."

Rude looked over at his charge to see his reaction. Instead of being upset over the name calling, Rufus seemed half amused.

"'Prissy Pants?' Such alliteration Reno."

"Huh?...Right...alliteration, yo..."

He just shook his head and waited for Rufus to come up beside him before leading them out. Rude decided to stay behind a little bit to keep an eye on the surroundings better.

As they walked out of the warehouse, other ShinRa operatives were arriving. They walked by as if nothing mattered. Reno and Rufus continued to smart off to each other leaving Rude to his thoughts.

Rufus and Reno cut an interesting pair. They were about the same age, build, and height, but whereas Rufus oozed an air of superiority and refinement, while Reno beamed as the average foul-mouthed kid from the slums. Regardless of their differences though, standing side by side, they looked like they could pass as average teenagers hanging out and enjoying the world.

Rude, for some reason, found the thought entertaining. Two seemingly normal teenagers wind up being the son of the most powerful company and a stone cold secret operative. The world, and their ages, were seriously messed up.

"Hey, whatcha starin' at? Ya know, it wouldn't hurt for ya to talk, yo. It ain't gonna be held against ya."

The redhead was glancing over his shoulder. Rufus punched him in the arm.

"Just be quiet already. Take some lessons in silence from him."

"Hey, just makin' sure he ain't all lonely or somethin'. If he doesn't wanna talk, he doesn't wanna talk. Just givin' him a chance here, yo."

He shrugged carelessly and continued walking. Without any further kidnappings or gun fights, all three made it safely back at the central building.

"Are you alright, sir?"

Tseng and Veld were waiting at the entrance of the building expectantly.

"I'm fine."

Rufus was curt as always as he let Tseng lead him away. Veld remained with Rude and Reno.

"To allow the president's son to be kidnapped, under normal circumstances, is unacceptable."

Rude hoped that the commander was not too angry with them. He chanced a glance at his partner. Reno remained as carefree as always though he was standing a bit straighter.

"However...How much of it was his idea?"

"All."

Rude and Reno replied in unison. The commander gave them a smile smile and nodded.

"As always. Good work, gentlemen. I expect a full report though. I want to know more than Rufus."

"Sir."

They saluted and waited for Veld to leave after Tseng before moving themselves.

"Glad he wasn't mad, yo. Then again, he ain't a fool. Commander knows Rufus as well as anybody."

Reno stretched and yawned as he slowly walked towards the elevators.

"Well, wasn't that excitin'? And that's a day babysittin' Rufus."

The doors to the elevator slid open and they both stepped in. Reno pushed the button for their floor and leaned against the wall.

"You know Rufus well?"

"Eh? I guess. He was one of my first missions. After that, I got stuck with him a lot. Maybe 'cause I am around his age and I blend in better? I dunno, I doubt blending in was on their list when they assigned me to him."

Here, Reno chuckled as he began to methodically crack each of his joints in his hand.

"But I do see him a lot, so I guess you could say I know him."

Rude nodded his head, but still did not receive the answer he was looking for. He was positive that anybody who treated Rufus like Reno did would be shot dead on the spot.

"Think it's weird that I can be that casual with him?"

He nodded and chuckled before Rude could say or do anything.

"Yeah, it's weird, yo, but I don't see the point. I tried in the beginning, but that just seemed to irritate him more. So, with my temper, I got fed up with him and snapped at him over something and then the guy laughs. I'm not sure why, but Rufus doesn't seem to care if I'm overly polite about everything. So long as he knows he's got my loyalty and respect, he seems pretty okay with what I do."

Another mystery remains unsolved. Rude shook his head and tried to piece to together something fairly coherent with what little he knew about Rufus and Reno. So far, he really had no luck in that area.

"Ya gonna answer that?"

Rude was knocked out of his thoughts when he felt Reno reach into his jacket and pull out his PHS. The redhead flipped open the screen and scrolled for a little bit before tossing it back to Rude.

"Now, we are in trouble. President wants to see us immediately."

Reno made a face that was a cross between annoyance and surprise.

"Well that sucks, yo. Huh, that was quick. Ah well, this is gonna go down one of two way. He's happy or pissed...I'd say happy was better, but he scares me more when he's happy than mad...That whole family is screwed up."

Rude sighed. He had heard about the president. To say the least, it was far better to be on his good side. However, Reno did not seem to care so Rude figured he had no major reason to be concerned.

"If he's mad about all this, I hope ya don't value your hearing, yo. I also suggest ignorin' anything he says. He can say some pretty mean things, but don't worry, he can't fire us or somethin'."

He was surprised at that. From what he understood, President Shinra had all the power in this company. Rude looked questioningly at his partner.

"Huh? Oh, well, technically, he has to go through the commander to get us fired, yo. See, the Turks weren't originally a part of this company, they still hold some independent authority."

The elevator dinged marking the end of their ride. The two Turks stepped out as the doors slid open. Reno sauntered up to a receptionist. She giggled a bit as she motioned for them to follow.

Rude was impressed that the entire top floor was dedicated to a single man's desk. The president's office space was one open floor plan with a single large desk.

"Sir."

Rude and Reno saluted. The president nodded his head.

"Welcome. I heard about today's little escapade with my son. Now, explain to me how you, Turks, managed to put my sole heir in danger!"

He slammed his fist on the desk causing a hollow echo. Rude had heard the president had a fairly short temper. Looking at his partner, he wondered how this was going to go. Reno also had a bit of a temper.

"Sir, yer son wanted to take care of a li'l problem, yo. We were prepared for it, sir, and it'd be great if ya had a li'l faith, yo."

"I have faith in keeping him away from life threatening situations! What? Couldn't handle something as simple as being a bodyguard?"

"_Forgive_ me, sir, but what d'ya care for?"

The president walked around to the front of his desk so he could be within arms length of the Turks.

"He will one day take over the company, but he cannot do that if he's dead!"

"It ain't that, yo..."

The president whipped around and got right into the redhead's face resulting with Reno tilting his face away with disgust.

"I ain't got nuthin' to say to ya, yo."

Rude noticed that Reno' speech and grammar had gotten sloppier since they entered. Not only that, he was tagging on his odd way to finish a phrase more often as well. It was apparently grating on the president's nerves much to the redhead's delight.

"Blast it all! I thought they schooled you!"

"I dunno, yo. Guess I'm just a slow learner, _yo_."

"What are they hiring, idiots?! And you! What about you?"

He now turned his wrath towards Rude who had remained stoic and silent as always. So, Reno decided to fill the president in.

"That's Rude. He's a new guy, yo."

"Does he talk?"

"When he needs to, yo."

"About time...And stop speaking like that!"

Reno, not so subtly, rolled his eyes but seemed to bite back any more comments. Rude just remained silent and they both stood patiently, somewhat, as the president continued his long-winded tirade.

It went on for a long while yet and he idle wondered how much air this man was full of for him to be able to go on so long. He continued to steal glances at the redhead who appeared to be in his own world.

"That is all. Now, get out of my sight!"

"Sir."

They both saluted and marched out of the room. Silence hung over them until the doors of the elevator closed.

"I waste so much of my life listenin' to that guy."

"Speaking semi-normally now?"

Reno grinned triumphantly as he seemed to be congratulating himself on irritating the president.

"Well, obviously, it annoys him and it's my way to get back at him. Actually, bein' able to talk different ways is kind of helpful sometimes. I can talk like I've never had a day of schooling in my life or I can pull some fancy soundin' jargon.

Rude cocked an eyebrow incredulously at the last comment.

"Formal speech, you?"

"Yup, no idea what I'm sayin' most of the time, but I just think how Rufus or Tseng talks and then mimic it, yo."

The doors opened again and they stepped out. Reno led them back to their room and threw himself on the couch.

"I can't wait for old man Shinra to kick the bucket, yo. And I'm not the only, Rufus can't wait either."

Rude sat down on the armchair and listened. This was interesting. During the course of the president's tirade, he noticed that there did not seem to be much love between the two.

"I'm definitely not sayin' Rufus is a shinin' model of moral goodness, but he's gonna be better than his old man, yo. He's smarter and knows how to control the masses better."

"The president?"

"He either hasn't heard or doesn't care. Yeah, we're putting all our money on Rufus. No doubt he'll put us through hell, but still, that's who we're countin' on. Rufus is a young, cocky, manipulative bastard and he'll run into his fair share of mistakes, but I'll stick around, yo."

"I guess."

He was not so sure about that. While Rufus, was still young, he had the potential to become exactly like his father and that would not get them anywhere. However, he kept in mind that the younger Shinra was quite different from his father in both appearance and demeanor. Perhaps, it would be best to listen and take his partner's advice.

"You'll see. The more ya see Rufus, the more you'll agree, yo."

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**A/N:** Yay for Rufus. It was great trying to figure out how to blend in the Before Crisis Rufus with the Rufus we all know and love. My reasoning is that they're younger. You talk and act differently when your younger versus older and by the main game or Advent Children, they're older and more mature...more or less when Reno's involved...Anyways, it was all major reference to Before Crisis events and whatnot. Actually, in BC, even though Rufus is a little more of a young, cocky jerk, he's obviously fairly well acquainted with Reno and vice versa. So yeah, I guess you can call it canon. More on Rufus later though. So, I think that's it, but if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask me. Well then, I hope you enjoyed!


	10. Twisted

**A/N:** Mwahahaha, I updated despite the multiple papers and midterms! That's why I did nothing over my spring break...I lost all motivation to do anything. But now, the chapter is typed and ready to be read. Some minor swearing, a little messed up violence...nothing too dramatic. Just offers a little more insight into the developing partnership of Rude and Reno. So, without further ado, enjoy.

I don't own FF7

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The question was, did he really want to know more about Rufus? From what he could tell so far, hanging around Reno and Rufus could be potentially detrimental to one's health. But then, he was a Turk and sacrifices must be made.

"But ya know, I wasn't expectin' that last part."

Reno gently rubbed a finger over the bandage covering his eye and chuckled softly.

"At least I'm positive I know who's been causin' all these problems, yo…Aw crap!"

He looked at his watch and then bolted out of the apartment and towards the elevators. Pulling out his PHS, he hit some buttons and frowned as Rude did his best to keep up with what was happening.

"I got an appointment, yo! C'mon, I'll explain on the way."

They stepped into the elevator and the redhead pushed a button for a few floors down. When it began to move, he took a deep breath and leaned against the wall.

"Anyways, ya know that guy I chased after?"

Rude nodded his head.

"He was the one who also had a hand in that little massacre, yo. I'm wonderin' if he was the one who messed with your guys' first mission."

Not really sure how his partner came to that conclusion or any other conclusion for that matter. However, to have been involved with the last few missions would mean that the person was fairly high up.

"Who would know the Turks' workings?"

"A Turk, yo."

Before he could say anything, the little bell dinged and the doors slid open. They stepped off and Rude found himself in a reception room reminiscent of a physician's office. The walls were white and the whole floor smelled sterile.

"Wasn't one for too long but long enough to be a pain in the ass, yo...The doc in?'

He did not even pause as he asked the receptionist. She nodded her head without looking up from her computer work.

The hallways were just as white as every other part of the floor and the tile was squeaky clean. Reno paused in front of a door and knocked.

"You're only fifty minutes late."

An average sized woman with green eyes and a frown glowered at the redhead over the rims of her glasses. Rude found her oddly intimidating.

"At least I showed up, yo."

"Yes, quite the miracle. Room 1."

She slammed the door in their faces after pointing down the hallway.

"Dr. Annette Blackwell. Great doctor, really scary lady sometimes, yo."

"Check up?"

"Yeah, ya might not know it, but I do got a second eye...Do ya know how annoying it is to only have half your vision?"

They slipped into the empty room and waited. Reno took a seat on the examiner's table while Rude remained standing in the corner.

"Back to the ex-Turk. The commander and Tseng are lookin' into it, especially after this morning. There's lotsa people who don't like Shinra and it's never good when ya got an insider givin' out info."

The large Turk nodded. He turned his head when the door opened and closed.

"Apparently you have a legitimate excuse."

Doctor Blackwell was curt not only in speech but in action too. Whenever she moved or placed something down, her movements were short and wasted no extra movement. It took no time for her to finished the initial check-up including checking Reno's reflexes with more force than was probably necessary.

"Right. How do you feel?"

Reno rubbed his somewhat tender joints as rolled his eyes.

"Good, yo."

"Your answer sucks."

With deceptive speed, the doctor reached out and poked Reno under the eye forcefully.

"Ow!"

"So it still hurts."

The redhead rubbed the spot gingerly.

"'Course it does, ya poked me, yo!"

"If only we could fix your volume and speech."

Rude cleared his throat in an attempt to keep down a chuckle. The redhead getting owned by a fairly old lady was amusing.

"Alright, let's see."

She rolled across the floor on her chair and pulled out a pair of small scissors. Rolling back over to Reno, Blackwell carefully snipped away at the badages around his head.

"Hmm, at least they're symmetrical."

Thin lines formed two pale, crescent scars around the sides of his eyes.

"See, told ya I had another eye, yo."

Rude just nodded his head. For some reason, seeing the redhead with both his eyes made him look all more mischievous and looking for trouble. Both eyes were the same odd bright blue.

"Can you see?"

"Yup...Gya! Warn me before ya shine that light, yo!"

The doctor flashed the light in his other eye and jotted down some notes.

"Good. Proper response to light. You, turn off the lights."

The bald Turk was surprised at her request and fact that she was talking to him. He decided that the quicker he obeyed her commands the better as he flipped off the switch.

"Alright let's see...Great, everything still works, I can see everything just fine."

Rude wondered how anybody could see clearly in the dark room with no windows and the door shut. As he scanned the room, he stopped when he locked eyes with Reno.

"Pretty freaky-cool, huh?"

Reno's eyes had a faint glow much like a cat's does in the dark. So he had not imagined it at their first mission. His partner's eyes did glow.

"The mako in your system sped up the healing process. You're an unusually lucky bastard. Lights."

Rude obliged and turned on the lights. Doctor Blackwell turned back to her clipboard.

"How's your leg working?"

She reached over and began poking and moving Reno's leg.

"Pretty good, yo. Doesn't hurt anymore. Back's still good from last time, yo."

"Take off your shirt."

"Aren't ya a bit old for me?"

The doctor smacked him upside the head as she studied her clipboard once again. Reno chuckled as he slipped off his jacket and quickly undid the few buttons on his shirt.

"Turn around...Good, it doesn't look like it will leave too damaging a scar. Not that it matters...Alright now. Leave."

Blackwell snorted as she shook her head, stood up and headed for the door.

"Anythin' ya say, gorgeous!"

Reno snickered as she curtly walked away and flipped the redhead off over her shoulder as she left.

"She loves me, yo."

"I see that."

Stretching and yawning, Reno rubbed at the scar on his back. It was at an angle and started from the middle of his back and ended at the side of his waist.

"Ya know, it still feels weird when I do that. It's like it's gonna tear or somethin'. Not very painful, just kind of freaky. Yeah, courtesy of said ex-Turk."

He slipped his shirt back on and then his jacket. Jumping off the table he walked out of the room.

"But Doc's right. I am lucky bastard...or he just sucks...I'm guessin' it's a combination of the two, yo."

At this point, the redhead was mumbling to himself about something that Rude could not really catch and the parts that he did made no sense. He took the time to study his partner out of the corner of his eye.

In the light, there was no sign of any mako at all. His eyes were just blue, an odd shade of blue, but normal compared to SOLDIER whose eyes had an eerie glow and color all the time.

That then made him wonder about where Reno got the mako from. As far as he was aware of, Reno was taken straight from the streets having not even participated in the training school. Mako was something that was only given to those in SOLDIER or for some other special case. He decided that the redhead could not have been in SOLDIER before becoming a Turk since he would have been far too young.

"Ya there?"

Rude realized that his partner was knocking on his head.

"Welcome back, yo. Where'd ya go?"

"Sorry...The mako?"

He figured it could not hurt to ask. There did not seem to be much that the redhead would not talk about.

"What about it? Oh, ya mean me? Well, yeah, I got some mako in my system...eh..."

Reno scratched his head while he attempted to figure out what he should say.

"Why?"

The larger Turk helped him out. He may not talk much, but he could still lead a conversation.

"Oh. I wasn't ever in SOLDIER. I guess it was like a test, experiment, whim or somethin', yo. I'm actually not sure why I got Mako treatments. Well, it helps out osmetimes. I don't need as much equipment."

He got an answer but he did not get an explanation. Then again, it seemed as though Reno did not really know either.

"I think...they're tryin' to decide if they should do it for all Turks, yo. Since we're different from SOLDIER, we don't need or want as much mako. Ya know how some of those SOLDIER guys are kinda off the deep end? Mako can mess with your head apparently and they don't want Turks goin' crazy, yo. Crazy Turks wind up like Rusty."

Rude recalled the energetic gunslinger and his craze that led him to take his own life away. Then he looked at his partner and softly sighed.

Now there was a different kind of crazy. While Reno was not "off the deep end" per se, he certainly was not what a psychiatrist would call average. Something funny went on in his partner's head and Rude had no idea what most of the time.

"Hehe, I'm told I was a screwball before the mako, yo."

The redhead laughed. The larger Turk wondered if mako allowed people to read minds or something. How Reno always seemed to know what Rude was thinking was beyond him. As irked as he was about being read so easily, he could not help but be somewhat impressed with his partner's insight.

"I've got it, yo!'

Rude slightly twitched at the sudden outburst and volume change. He cocked an eyebrow at his partner.

"It's obvious, yo...Yeah, I'll go tomorrow or somethin'."

Reno brightened up considerable for a reason unknown to Rude. He got the feeling that Reno was not always talking to him or another human being for that matter.

"Fix what?"

"Fix your problem, yo."

The redhead looked up at him like he asked the dumbest question in the world. Rude just decided to leave it alone. As far as he was concerned, he was not the one with a problem needing to be fixed. However, keeping true to his skill, he remained silent.

"Glad you agree, yo...Huh, what's up with those two?"

Throughout their previous conversation, the two Turks gradually made their way to towards their floor. They had just stepped off the elevator and noticed the twins in a heated conversation.

"I can't believe you Todd! What are you getting all worked up about?!"

"You saw what they did. Do you want to keep that up? For them?!"

"It's my job, Todd, just like it's yours."

"This will not work!"

Victoria and Todd's voices were in harsh, whisper-like yelling tones, like they were trying not to disturb anybody else. It was not his business but apparently Reno decided it was his.

"Man, what's got ya guys so uptight?"

The twins whipped their heads around at Reno in surprise. Todd just seemed to glower at the redhead while Victoria marched up to him.

"May I speak with you privately sir?"

"Uh, sure, yo."

Reno cast Rude a questioning glance before leading her down the hallway. Todd continued to glare daggers at the redhead's back.

Now, Rude was left alone with the other Turk. The silence between them was tense and awkward. As far as what to do next, he was clueless. Social situations were not his forte.

"Would you kill like that again?"

He was caught off guard by the sudden question. Todd appeared more relaxed as he waited expectantly for an answer.

"Like what?"

Rude knew what he was talking about, but he asked in hope that Todd was asking about something else.

"Killing people who have done nothing wrong."

Just as he thought. Rude unwillingly remembered the young secretary, her pleas, and her ending anger and resentment. He lightly shook his head. It would haunt him forever, but he would still move forward. They did not pick the Turks because they wanted to be heroes.

"This job...innocents will always die..."

"So...you're like them...Don't you care that people, who have done nothing, are being killed? How many people have died innocent but were charged accusingly?"

"Our job is not to care. It's to do our job."

Todd's expression passed through various emotions until his head drooped and his hair hid his eyes.

"I see...I see now...See you around, Rude."

"Odd..."

Rude was suddenly suspicious of people's new behavior. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw a blur of red race past him and tackle Todd down the hallway.

"You said..."

He looked over at Victoria who slowly stepped next to Rude and watched as Reno dragged Todd somewhere else.

"I just told him that Todd started acting weird after he met this guy. I got a glimpse of him and before I finished, Reno bolted off."

They stood silently, staring down the hallway where Reno and Todd disappeared. After several minutes of silence, Reno and Todd stumbled out of a room. Victoria raised an eyebrow.

"What were you two doing?"

"Nothing."

They gruffly answered simultaneously as they walked away from each other. Victoria shot Rude a questioning glance before running after her brother. Reno walked up to Rude dusting off his jacket.

"Sheesh. He's got a good stranglehold, yo."

"Wrestling?"

"Ya do what ya gotta do to get the info, yo."

Rude sincerely hoped his job would not often require him to randomly tackle co-workers into submission. For some reason, beyond his comprehension, that method did not suit his fancy.

"C'mon, we really gotta talk to the commander."

Reno sighed before walking over to the offices. As they approached, Tseng was exiting Commander Veld's office.

"If you're looking for the commander, he's at a meeting."

"That's fine, you'll do, yo."

"Thank you. I am glad I meet your standards."

Tseng guided them to his office and then sat down behind his desk. Rude carefully shut the door and stood next to his partner.

"Now, what is it, gentlemen?"

"I spoke to Todd and found he was approached by the same guy who attacked Rufus and most likely the guy who's been a general pain in the ass."

Tseng neatly folded his hands, closed his eyes, and sighed.

"I see...But do we have any idea where we could find him?"

"The thugs that tried to kidnap the president's son."

Rude recalled that pathetic gang of wanabes. Nobodies like them would never attempt something like kidnapping Rufus Shinra unless there was a bigger person behind them.

"Right, he showed up there, yo. There were some still alive, right?"

The field commander quickly pulled out a file and thumbed through it.

"Yes. There's still one who hasn't been interrogated yet. Go see what you can find."

"Sir!"

Rude and Reno saluted and filed out of the office. However, before shutting the door behind him, Reno looked over his shoulder.

"Any rules?"

"Try not to kill and do try to keep the mess to a minimum."

"Got it, yo."

Reno practically hop-skipped down the hallway followed closely by Rude. The silent Turk debated whether or not he should be concerned at the redhead's sudden enthusiasm at torturing somebody.

"_Try_ not to kill?"

"'Kay, totally not my fault, yo. I was interrogatin' this one guy and threatened him some way or another."

Reno paused when he got to the apartment.

"Hold on a sec."

The redhead ran inside and Rude could hear things being moved around without much care. Then he came back out again carrying a book and rope. He shrugged the rope onto his shoulder and walked towards the elevators.

"Part of the questionin' process, yo...Anyways," They stepped inside and Reno pressed the button for a floor four levels below. "This guy was totally panicking, yo. Now, I was under orders not to really harm him, but a little bluffin' goes a long way."

The doors slid opened and Rude was led down a beige colored hallway.

"So I get ready to do whatever it was I threatened to do and did it, 'cept I never actually hit him. Still, the guy, like, dropped dead literally. He just collapsed. Dead."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Somebody said he actually died from relief, yo. How screwed up is that? Let's hope this guy does better."

At the end of the hallway, it split into two branching hallways. Sitting at the cross-section was a guard reclining at a large desk.

"Room 4."

"Thanks, yo."

Reno took the right branch and stopped at the second door. With his hand on the handle, the redhead turned to face Rude.

"Not that I really need to tell ya, but, keep your cool, and be an overall heartless sonuvabitch, yo."

"Your explanations are so wonderful."

"I know. Maybe I should take up public speakin'?"

He chuckled as he opened the door and strode in confidently. Rude shook his head as he followed his partner in.

"Afternoon, sunshine! 'Sup?"

Reno cheerfully waved and set down his book and rope. He sat on the solitary table in the center and smirked at the man scowling at him.

Rude stood stoicly by the door and studied the captive. He was sitting feely in a chair.

"Alright. You've seen the movies, ya know the drill, yo. Answer my questions and I won't have to exhibit my creativity."

The man before him scoffed at the redhead.

"How am I supposed to take a little kid seriously?"

Reno continued to smirk at him. With practiced skill and speed, the redhead had a switchblade out and brought it down.

"That's how, yo."

Rude noted the man's reaction with some kind of morbid interest. The redhead moved faster than the captive could react and it took a sickening few moments before the man's eyes slowly went wide as his mind registered what happened.

The blade had pierced the top of his hand and went straight through the palm. It looked like he was trying to scream but had lost his voice. Reno continued to stare at him and grin sadistically.

"How's that? Takin' me seriously yet?"

In a poor attempt to hide his pain and fear, the man shook his head vigorously.

"Too bad. Guess I'll have to practice expressin' my creativity."

Reno wiggled the blade loose from the man's hand and flicked off the blood so it splattered on his captive's face.

"Unfortunately, I ain't that creative. However, i got this book I've been wantin' to try out, yo."

Rude raised an eyebrow as the redhead grabbed the book and began flipping through the pages. Every once and a while would pause on a page, stare that the captive thoughtfully, shake his head, and move on.

"Okay, this sounds good, yo! Let's see...First, be sure to tie everything down tightly."

He walked over and pulled out the length of rope he grabbed earlier. The redhead motioned for Rude to hold the book.

"Hold that while I tie him down, yo"

Rude grabbed the book and studied the page. He was pretty sure there were no books that were dummy guides to torture. As he scanned the pages he was at first surprised and then amused. He certainly had a clever yet twisted partner.

"'Kay. What's next?"

He took the book from Rude and read some more of the writing.

"Make sure blade is sharp."

Reno examined his blade and then stared questioningly at the captive.

"Was the blade sharp?"

The captive gulped as Reno casually flipped his blade up and down.

"N-no."

He feigned surprise at the response and studied the blade.

"That's too bad, yo..."

There was a visible sigh of relief from the captive.

"Guess I'll just have to tear through with more jagged cuts, yo. It's not gonna look as pretty."

Rude snorted at the sudden expression of fear. Reno took his blade and tore through the man's shirt. After that task was completed, he positioned the tip of the blade at the top of the man's collar bone.

"Keep blade at about a forty-five degree angle and apply as much pressure until blade touches bone."

The man screamed as Reno dug the knife down and smiled knowingly.

"I see why ya have to tie 'em down, yo."

The captive was squirming as much as he could while fastened to the chair. Rude walked over and tapped his partner on the shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"What are you going to do about this much heat?"

Reno pouted as he thought about it. Rude chuckled to himself when the strugling ceased and the man was frozen still from fear.

"Aw man...I really wanted to do this one, yo. There isn't any other way around it?"

He whined like a child as he stared pleadingly up at the larger Turk.

"I have master level fire materia...or Ifrit...Both would work."

"Ooh, let's use Ifrit, yo! Not only would it get the job done, but it'll look really cool too!"

"I DON'T KNOW HIS NAME, BUT HE WORKED FOR SHINRA! HE PROMISED US A CHANCE TO GET BACK AT SHINRA IF WE KIDNAPPED THE KID!"

Reno plugged an ear as the man literally screamed out a rapid stream of information into his ear. The redhead scooted away. When there was a break in the man's screaming, Reno asked more questions.

"Why would ya want to get back at ShinRa?"

"HE'S DESTROYING THE PLANET AND WE WANT IT TO STOP IT BUT SHINRA WOULDN'T LISTEN!"

"Okay then..." Reno spoke in a deliberately quiet voice, most likely to encourage the other to speak quieter. "Why does this former ShinRa employee out to get ShinRa? He's obviously smarter than all of you, yo."

"HE WANTS TO SEE THE COMPANY END 'CAUSE THEY'RE EVIL KILLERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT! HE SAID THE COMPANY NEEDS TO END FOR SOME IDEAL-"

Reno smacked the man upside the head forcefully. The man's face smashed into the table causing him to quiet down to a whimper.

"Alright...Good, yo. So you don't know his name, but you've seen him, right? And if ya value any part of your body, you'll answer quietly,yo."

Another pathetic whimper and the man continued.

"He's tall and kinda scrawny, but he's a lot stronger than he looks..uh...dark, long hair..and uh, looks like a nice guy and all...likes dark clothes, like black and stuff...And...uh, that's all..."

"Ya don't say...So, we've got a bunch of tree-huggers growin' violent and bein' led by an ex-ShinRa worker who's bitter at the company's methods and wants us all dead?"

The man nodded his head vigorously. Reno stood up from where he was sitting on the table and began circling the man menacingly.

"Now who's your leader? Surely a group of idiots like you have a smarter leader? And it's this leader that dealt with the former employee..."

Rude wondered what was causing the captive more fear; what was being done to him, or Reno. In all honesty, the bald Turk noticed a definite shift in personality.

The redhead's eyes appeared brighter than before and no longer was there any type of expression. It was completely blank causing one to be drawn to those eerie eyes.

"Want to give me a name?"

"I don't know-"

A loud thud echoed in the room as Reno viciously kicked the man's chair over and firmly planted his foot against his throat.

"Wrong answer bitch. If ya don't want to breath through a tube the rest of your life, answer the question!"

Rude was not sure whether or not he should intervene. He understood that they were required to use any means necessary, but could not kill him. At the moment, Rude wondered if Reno even had that in his mind. A little while ago, he would say the redhead was in control. But with the abrupt mood swing, he was not so sure anymore.

"Nobody except the main branch knows..."

The man was wheezing under the redhead's heel.

"Main branch? What does that mean?"

"Every city has a group...Nobody...in the cities know where the...headquarters are..."

"And headquarters is your leader...Pretty clever, yo."

In another odd mood swing, Reno was calm and almost chirpy. It was a bit of a relief for Rude.

"I take it ya don't know anymore?"

The answer was a gurgle and gasping.

"Alrighty then. I'm done, yo...And I didn't make that much of a mess."

He lifted his foot up and kicked the man so that he was lying on his side.

"Not that much of a mess?! You psycho! You call stabbing me and slicing me open not a mess?!"

Rude was mildly shocked at the sudden burst of energy. Reno just snorted in disgust.

"One, your hand ain't bleedin' that much. Two, I barely gave ya a paper cut, yo. Suck it up ya sissy."

Indeed, the cut along his collar bone did not really even qualify as a cut. Only a small bead of blood slowly oozed out. The man's hand was the worst and even that ceased bleeding.

Reno grabbed his book and set it down so the man could read the page.

"You are sick!"

"And you're an idiot. Bye-bye."

The redhead slammed the door shut as he followed behind Rude. As they walked, Rude looked down at his smaller partner.

"Why do you keep a cookbook?"

"What? I don't always eat out, yo."

A small smirk crept along his face.

"You really are twisted to have done that."

"You're the one who offered to bake him at 425 degrees, yo."

Reno was smirking the whole trip up to Tseng's office. Rude just shook his head as he knocked on the door.

"Enter."

They walked silently into the office space and stood in front of the desk.

"I take it he talked?"

"Screamed more like it, yo."

Tseng finished signing off on a paper before setting down his pen and making eye contact.

"What do we know?"

"A bunch of nature goody-goodies don't like mako bein' taken from the planet so they're on some high-flutin' mission to stop the company. They're like bugs and are in every city, but there's a headquarters somewhere but nobody knows where. The leader of all those tree-huggers talked to the guy that attacked Rufus and that guy is a former employee...What?"

Both Rude and Tseng were staring at him.

"Did you even breathe during that?'

"No."

"Ah, I see."

Tseng cleared his throat and smoothed back his hair as he attempted to hide a chuckle.

"This 'guy' you talk about, who is he?"

Rude decided he should explain.

"He didn't know, sir. But, he did give a description."

"Proceed."

"Tall and scrawny, dark hair-"

"Nernst. It's definitely Nernst."

Rude turned questioningly to his partner who was currently pouting angrily off to the side.

"You're sure?"

Tseng gazed solemnly at the redhead. Reno snorted and crossed his arms.

"Of course I'm sure! It's Nernst and I swear that bastard is gonna die!"

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**A/N:** So how was it? Not as long as some of the other chapters, but it gets things moving to the next part. Again, more allusions to Before Crisis. As for Dr. Blackwell, her name was taken from a religious woman's right person who ended up being killed. No real reason behind naming the good doctor after her other than that the name suited me at the moment. No, she does not die. And she is loosely based off my own doctor. She's a lot nicer, but still very down to business. As for Nernst, that's a social justice philosopher judge person. And you will find out more about him later. Next up, more thrilling excitement as people are killed. Ha, big surprise there. Well, hope you enjoyed!


	11. Tailored

**A/N:** So another chapter finally shows up...Egads, I meant to post sooner but I'm sure you're all aware of the tortures of final projects...Anyways, the next chapter is waiting for you all. It's got some violence in it and some swearing...and the morbid storytelling continues, but I hope it is enjoyable nonetheless. Please enjoy!

I don't own FF 7

As a side note, many people have pointed out that there is a story very similar to mine called 'When Rude Met Reno.' I am aware of this story and actually am reading it. The author had my full permission to use my ideas to help get her story going. Yes, mine is the original, and yes, she is allowed to use these ideas or plot bunnies or whatever it is that she finds interesting. It is now clearly taking a different path than my story which indicates that she's true to her word. So, I hope we can all enjoy reading each others' stories. Thank you for your time. Now on with the show!

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Tseng and Rude both stared questioningly at the now fuming redhead. In a sudden burst of emotion, Reno was now muttering under his breath as he glared at a poor plant in the corner. If he did not know that it was impossible, Rude would have assumed the plant would wither and die under the redhead's harsh glaring.

"Very well. I will discuss this with the commander and the executives. Until there's a plan, both you are free. Dismissed."

"Sir."

As was routine, the two Turks saluted and left the room. Rude looked over at his partner who was causing the other employees to scurry to the other side of the hallway whenever he passed by. The redhead's eyes were a bizarre myriad of hues of blue and green. The colors seemed to flash across and then fade into another shade.

"You okay?"

Rude mentally kicked himself for that dumb question. Obviously, Reno was angry or upset or both. Before he could do or say anything else though, his partner paused and stopped right in the middle of the hallway. Staring off into space, Rude silently stood by and waited for something to happen. Then, unexpectedly, Reno grinned and tilted his head.

"I'm fine, yo. Hey, ya busy? No? Okay, let's get outta here for a while."

Reno tugged on Rude's sleeve towards the elevators. He pushed the down button and waited impatiently for the doors to open. While they were standing there, Rude just studied his partner, particularly his eyes. They were back to their normal, steady aqua color.

"Where?"

"In town, where else? I just had a great idea…Well, actually I already had the idea, but forgot about it, and now remembered it and decided it was a good time to act on my idea."

The large and silent Turk just cocked an eyebrow at the explanation. Well, they were just given free time and he had nothing better to do so he might as well tag along if only to keep an eye on the redhead. He idly wondered when he started to think he needed to keep an eye on Reno.

Speaking of the redhead, he was still continuing on his "idea" except now he was analyzing whether or not it would still be an idea or rather a plan now. While Rude remained silent, Reno was more than happy to fill in the silent gaps. He found himself strangely enjoying the redhead's company. Not that he needed noise, on the contrary, he held silence in high regards, but with Reno, the constant chattering did not bother him all that much. Granted, he sometimes was caught off guard and even stressed a little when the redhead started having a series of mood swings, but then, maybe that was why he enjoyed it so much. There was no predicting him.

The trip in the elevator finally ended with Reno coming to the conclusion that a tonberry would "kick cactuar ass" any day of the week. Now, Rude had been listening to the one-sided conversation, but still did not know how that conclusion was reached. As the doors slid open to the lobby, he nonchalantly wondered if Reno was going to go find a cactuar and tonberry and have them fight it out. Considering the gambling and other questionable activities the redhead took part in, he would not be so surprised if Reno did organize underground tonberry versus cactuar fights.

"And then chocobos will rule the world and it will then become a police state society until….ya listenin'?"

"…Unfortunately, yes."

"…..Hahahaha…..That doesn't matter anyways. Alright, let's see, where's the best place to go?"

They had been walking for a while with Rude trying to figure out how Reno decided chocobos would create a police state. They stopped in the middle of the sidewalk when they reached downtown. Reno was looking around searching for whatever his idea was. People began to collide with them since they were both blocking everybody's way and the abrupt stop caught everybody behind them off guard. He quickly bowed his head in an apology and dragged his partner to the side.

"Ah-ha. Got it, yo."

Before Rude could even ask what he got, Reno was already a good distance away. How he managed to move that fast in that large group of people was beyond the large Turk. In another interesting turn of events, he somehow managed to lose sight of the redhead. That was odd considering all the gray and drab people and the fact that Reno stuck out like a colorful flaming stick of dynamite.

Lightly shrugging his shoulders, Rude just found a nearby bench and sat down. Shopping and crowded places were not his favorite pastimes, but sitting off to the side watching people was far more interesting. All those passing by either ran by quickly or attempted to ignore his presence. After a while, those around or in the close proximity were beginning to become used to him as things started to flow normally again.

He did not know how long it had been as he studied every individual within his line of sight before he heard his PHS ring. As he reached for his PHS in his jacket pocket, the people around him suddenly grew tense and some even stopped mid-step. Rude quirked an eyebrow as he brought out the small mobile device and everybody seemed to relax.

"…I understand. We'll be right there."

Rude stood up as he looked around for his partner. There was no telling where Reno went of to and he was not looking forward to searching around for him. However, it did not take long before he saw a mess of red hair through the crowds.

"Heh, kind of helps finding ya when you're that tall, yo!"

The redhead smirked as he bounced up to him. Rude noticed him slide something into his pocket.

"Enough on that. I take it you got a call too?"

He nodded his head causing the redhead to sigh.

"So much for some free time. Oh well…I kind of got a bad feeling about this."

The silent Turk remained silent but nodded his head once. For some reason, there was a small gnawing feeling at the bottom of his stomach. It did not make too much sense that they would be called back in such a hurried manner if it was something small. Besides, there were still a handful of Turks at the building.

"I wonder if they found him or something…."

Reno was staring blankly forward as he walked. Even though he was looking forward, it did not seem as if he was actually seeing what was in front of him.

"Remember the third partner that I said we don't talk about?"

Rude nodded his head in the affirmative. The redhead chewed on his bottom lip a moment as he appeared to be gathering his thoughts.

"Well, as you probably guessed, it was Nernst, the guy we're after. I dunno how long..I think about almost half a year we were partners. Not the longest time, but long enough to have bits of information to give out."

They continued walked at a quick pace back to the main building. It loomed above the rest in the distance.

"Aargh! He's also the bastard who gave me these and stabbed me in the back! Literally and figuratively!"

He ran his finger gently along the pale scars around his eyes and suddenly became silent. The abrupt change from practically screaming to nothing was a bit jarring; especially for the people they passed.

"Good thing his aim sucks though. Even a foot behind me he still missed anything vaguely important to my functioning…." Suddenly, he became overly animated once again. ""Seriously, he had to have failed miserably at shootin'! Gya, I dunno what's worse; him bein' a backstabbin' traitor or havin' piss poor aim!"

He flapped his arms up and down angrily like a child as the passing pedestrians hurriedly averted their gaze and ran to the other side of the street. It was clearly still a touchy subject with him. Rude lightly shook his head as his partner continued to fume and glare. Figuring it could not hurt since he was already upset, Rude prodded a little further.

"When did he-"

"Not too long before all of ya rookies showed up. It was supposed to be a simple, 'get in and get out' sort of retrieval…"

Reno slowed down to his normal lazy drawl as he stared thoughtfully ahead.

"I had a gut feeling somethin' was off, but figured we could deal with it. Nernst was supposed to be watchin' my back…That was a mistake, yo."

There was a different tone to his voice when he said that last part. It was brief, but being the perceptive person that he is, Rude managed to catch it. He could not find a good word to describe it. Usually, he was quite gifted when choosing appropriate words; it was something he was always good at with him being usually silent, but now, he had trouble finding the right one to describe it. Then again, the redhead was kind of difficult to describe. It was no wonder the superiors always had their eye on him.

"Well, enough on that, yo. What do ya think we were called back for?...I got a bad feelin'."

Despite his claim of having a bad feeling, Reno still kept himself in a lazy posture and stared at the world with slightly hooded eyes. He pressed the button for the elevator and stepped inside when the doors opened.

"Do _you_ have a bad feelin' or is this just me?"

Rude was a little surprised to have the redhead just about in his face, literally. Of course, he was standing a bit on his tip toes to reach, but it was slightly comical nonetheless. When he wanted to know something, apparently, he would definitely let it be known.

Before Rude could gather his thoughts again, the doors slid open and Reno spun around to smashed straight into Tseng.

"Sheesh, could ya be any more in the way."

Not having seen him, Reno did not have a good footing and managed to fall backwards from the impact and then bump into Rude who made a small "umph" noise and pushed him off. Tseng, having caught a glimpse of red when the elevator doors slid open, prepared himself for some kind of force. He remained standing and stared down reprovingly at the redhead.

"My apologies, subordinate."

The redhead stood up straight, looked off to the side, and shrugged carelessly though it looked a little sheepish. Not being stuck on one thing for too long, Reno immediately snapped his head around to face Tseng who had shooed him back into the elevator.

"So what's the emergency?"

"What makes you think it's an emergency?"

Tseng remained neutral as ever as he casually studied the shining metallic doors. Reno tapped his foot a few moments and leaned forward a bit to get closer to the field commander's face.

"'Cause ya got that weird twitching 'this really sucks right now" kind of twitch...Oh, now I think it's because I'm irritating you?"

The silent Turk watched the small exchange and had a feeling he knew what Tseng was doing. In fact, he had used it before as well. Attempt to take deep breaths while counting slowly to ten. However, ten seconds or so seemed a bit too long for Reno to handle and waved his hand over his face.

"Hey, ya gonna answer me or not?"

With incredible reflexes, Tseng's hand snapped out and latched onto the redhead's wrist. Rude was more than impressed by that display of speed and strength as Reno was currently trying to pry his hand away while the field commander acted like nothing was going on at all.

"Again, it is not an emergency."

With a tone of finality, he let go of the redhead's wrist. Reno glowered at him as he shook out his wrist.

"If it weren't, ya wouldn't have called us in, yo."

A small noise resembling a "hmph" came from the field commander as he continued to avoid eye contact with the redhead.

"With any luck, it isn't anything. However, with the previous events, Commander Veld determined it better to err on the side of caution."

Tseng seemed to hold his breath as if in anticipation for something. A snort from Reno let Rude know why.

"'Err on the side of caution?' To 'err on the side of caution' doesn't require a Turk let alone two Turks."

The field commander let out a small sigh.

"Three Turks. The commander insisted I go as well."

"Ha, sucks for you, yo."

The elevator stopped and Rude noted that they were on one of the upper hangers where aircrafts were kept. Various aircrafts lined the floor making a path to the outside. A single black helicopter with the ShinRa logo on its side was out on a launching pad.

"So, where we goin'?"

Rude followed Tseng to the side when the field commander motioned for the larger Turk to sit shotgun.

"Junon."

"Oh, well yup, somethin' definitely went wrong, yo."

Rude was somewhat surprised when Reno sat in the seat next to Rude. He looked down and saw that the redhead was in control of the collective, the helicopter, and ultimately, their lives.

"What are ya starin' at? Junon is kind of a crappy city where things always go wrong...and that's not what you're thinkin' about is it?..."

Tseng leaned forward and patted the larger Turk on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. We're probably safer with Reno in the air than on the ground."

The redhead shot a venomous glare over his shoulder as he slipped on the headsets and began starting it up. The engine roared to life and before long, they were off the ground and flying straight for the canon city.

"See? I know what I'm doin', yo. I have yet to crash. I'm one of the best when it comes to flyin'."

"'One' of the best?"

Rude was mildly shocked at his partner's admission of not being the best. Reno snorted.

"Cid's probably the best...even if he wasn't, you'd better say he's the best or he'll skewer ya with that spear of his..."

He did not doubt it. The few times he had seen or more often than not, heard Cid, Rude was sure the foul mouthed pilot was quite a character.

"Did you learn from him?"

"Hell no. Try learnin' something from him and all you'll learn are the most creative ways to use a single swear word. Ya gotta know what's happenin' before he takes time to tell ya anythin'. Got some pointers though."

There was a soft snort from Tseng over the headsets.

"Yes, like how to be even more foul-mouthed and ill-mannered."

Reno chuckled triumphantly as he made subtle adjustments in the direction. Rude was impressed. It was one of the smoothest helicopter rides he had been on. It did not take long before Junon was in sight.

"Well that's good, yo. We didn't crash so my initial feelin' of doom is gone. Sadly, that means somethin' else is wrong."

He landed the helicopter down and shut off the engine. The three Turks climbed out of the aircraft and stopped when they reached the streets.

"Lemme guess...We're goin' to a warehouse...Why the damn warehouses?"

Reno huffed and crossed his arms earning an annoyed glance from the field commander.

"Warehouse Four on the harbor and shut up Reno."

He pointed at the redhead who just smirked triumphantly and began strolling towards the harbor. Rude patted Tseng's shoulder and followed after his partner.

"Ryoko, Todd, Trista, and Ben were sent to take down a weapons dealing. Our targets had been taking ShinRa weaponry. However, we received a distress call a short while ago."

Rude now felt that sinking sensation in his gut. Four Turks should be able to take down average weapons dealers. With the current trend of events, there was good reason to be concerned.

"Damn...Why'd ya guys let him go?"

The redhead muttered more to himself as he stepped up the pace towards the harbor warehouses. As they approached, the surroundings were quiet. There should have been some sound, but there was nothing.

The absence of noise put the Turks on edge. Rude mimicked the others' motion and drew his gun. The three Turks approached the warehouse and Tseng motioned for them to stop.

Large doors were already opened. Tseng crouched down and peered cautiously through the opening. After signaling the plan, Reno nodded and slipped inside followed by Rude then Tseng.

"Nobody's home, yo."

"Check out back."

"Gotcha."

Reno lazily yet still warily made his way out back while the other two examined the inside.

Rude studied the layout and noted the lack of anything out of place. There should have been some sort of evidence of a struggle. The field commander's face was grim as he stood next to the larger Turk.

"I haven't heard any swearing or yelling from Reno."

For the briefest moment, the bald Turk thought that Tseng had prophetic powers.

"Damn it all! We've got a little company!"

Reno's voice came from outside and reverberated throughout the empty warehouse. Both Tseng and Rude quickly dropped behind a couple of cement pillars and peeked around the side. They could hear gunshots, swearing, and more gunshots as the redhead suddenly burst through at incredible speeds.

"Shoot 'em, shoot 'em!"

Bullets whizzed by Reno's head causing him to duck and weave at spastic intervals. As he was running, a man was not to far behind aiming a gun right at him. Rude stepped away from the pillar and took aim.

"Duck!"

The redhead immediately dropped to the floor as Rude wasted no time firing his gun and placing a bullet through the man's head. However, before his partner could stand up, another came out from behind another pillar and quickly grabbed the redhead and held him by the neck while using him as a human shield.

Reno was not so much worried as he was more or less miffed at being held hostage even when the man placed the barrel of his gun against his temple. The redhead just sighed and rolled his eyes while his head drooped to the side a little.

"Don't move. Don't anybody move!"

It was obvious that he was more panicked than anybody else in the room; more so than even the redhead. Tseng calmly came from behind the pillar with his gun drawn and aimed.

"I don't suggest you move either Reno."

The man holding the redhead hostage suddenly stepped back and began to visibly shake when he heard the field commander. Reno did nothing but roll his eyes.

"Wait, wh-"

A single gunshot rang out and suddenly, the man holding the redhead loosened his grip and than fell to the ground with a bullet right between the eyes. Reno just nudged him with the tip of his shoe before shrugging and walking over to the other two Turks.

Rude remained impassive as always, though inside, he was mentally bowing towards the field commander's skills. While they all had to be decent shots with a gun, some were apparently better than others.

The shot that Tseng fired was perfect in many ways. For one, to hit dead between the eyes was not the easiest shot. Plus, Reno was being used as a human shield. Any movement from Reno or miscalculation from Tseng would have put the bullet into the redhead instead.

Speaking of the redhead, he was currently ejecting the clip from his gun and putting in a new one as though nothing happened. He talked animatedly with Tseng who appeared to be ignoring him. Rude was impressed with the level of trust that the redhead put into his commander. It made him also wonder a little bit about how well those two knew each other or for how long. He knew Reno seemed to naturally trust his comrades in arms, but he could also tell that his partner was not exactly willing to trust too much with anybody else. That was actually dangerous for any of them. However, in that situation, he was more than ready to let Tseng do whatever he needed to since he was helpless at the moment. He could tell that the two behaved differently with each other than when they interacted with the others. Rude could just not figure out what it was like.

"Sheesh, stop your nagging already. I get it, I get it, yo."

"Don't use that tone with me. I know you and you're going to forget. I swear, you would lose your own head if it weren't attached."

"Yes, mother."

The silent Turk suddenly had to cover his mouth and fake a cough in order to hide his sudden need to laugh. That conversation right there was pretty much the defining aspect of that relationship. Sure, there was plenty more depth than that, but for now, that was a good enough description or comparison to satisfy Rude's mind.

"Are there any alive?"

"Yeeeeeah-no. I'm pretty sure I killed the few outside, yo."

The field commander's brows knitted together as he was contemplating the best course of action. Reno just waited somewhat patiently for his boss to tell him to do something. Rude, with a bit more patience, stood stoically to the side.

"Very well then. What of the Turks assigned here?"

Reno's bored expression quickly turned into a pensive one and then blank. He motioned towards the back and shook his head.

"Dead. Except one..."

He trailed off at the end and began walking back from where he came from. Tseng stroked back a stray strand of hair as he sighed and followed the redhead. Rude just felt sort of numb, like it was not sinking in all the way.

When they got out back, Reno was sitting on top of a large wooden crate and motioned to right behind him.

Behind the boxes, in a dirty, smelly warehouse junk yard, three bodies were scattered, swimming in a pool of drying blood. Rude walked closer with Tseng and examined closer. He wished that he would have stood back a little bit.

The closest body was Ryoko. Her hair was splayed around her and was stained by blood. The once vibrant, lively eyes were now empty staring at nothing and everything. She lied on her stomach where most of the blood had spilled out. Her back showed one large stab wound that most likely went straight through her.

The next one was some Turk that Rude had never met though had seen a few times. He had an arm protectively around the third body. It turned out to be Trista. Her body was filled with bullet holes as was the other Turk. A single dirty streak ran down her face from her eye to her chin.

"Guess who's missin' from the group?"

"...Todd..."

Rude ripped his eyes from the grisly scene before him and decided to stare at the ocean like his partner. Tseng joined them shortly before pulling out his PHS and walking a short distance away.

"You rookies are droppin' like flies, yo."

There were better things he could have said, but it was Reno so that was about all that could be expected. Then again, saying something comforting would have put Rude on edge even more. And on top of all of that, it was true.

"Is this normal?"

"Um…dead people with holes in 'em ain't normal buddy."

He felt the redhead pat him on the head like a dog as he said that. Rude lightly shook his head to get the redhead away causing him to smirk.

"Nah, people, especially Turks, should not be dying off this fast. Ya chose a really interesting time to join, yo."

Figures. Rude nodded his head once and continued to watch the ocean water towards to the distant horizon. The water up close was filthy and it was obvious that there were more industrial sections to the city. However, the further out a person looked, the water became clearer and would even sparkle a little as the sun hit it just right. But that was in the distance, it was difficult to see.

"We're done here. The few Turks stationed here are on their way and will take care of everything. Let's go."

Tseng walked off stiffly as Rude and Reno followed. The walk back to the helicopter was silent, even Reno chose not to say anything. Such a silence was nothing new for Rude and he figured nor was it normal for Tseng, but for the redhead, the silence was slightly unnerving. But the faithful redhead could not stay silent for long.

"So, why would Todd stab his partner, kill off the rest and run off with the plant defenders?...Guess Nernst is rallyin' people to his cause, yo..."

He drifted off and began kicking a small stone along the sidewalk. Rude listened to the rock scuttle across the pavement as he processed everything that had happened. The longer this Nernst and these soon to be terrorists remained at large, the more deadly the situation was becoming. They needed to be stopped but were proving to be a bit more difficult than originally thought.

"We're still people too..."

The redhead mumbled to himself as he then kicked the stone as hard as he could. It banged up against a trash can tipping it over. Tseng adjusted the cuffs of his coat as he softly sighed.

"Indeed we are..."

Tseng lightly shook his head while Reno suddenly smirked. Whatever brought on that little comment seemed to be the perfect thing to help move things along once again. Even Rude felt a bit more at ease now that his partner was in a more relaxed state.

"Ah yes, upon our arrival, you and Rude will go to see the tailor."

The redhead paused mid-step and stared incredulously at him.

"Why the tailor?"

His tone reflected the sudden wariness and suspicion he cast towards Tseng. The field commander authoritatively glared back.

"For the party tomorrow night, you will wear a suit that actually fits."

"But they're way too stuffy! And they're uncomfortable and-"

"End of discussion Reno."

Reno's shoulders drooped and he trudged behind his superior. Rude inwardly chuckled at his partner's apparent depression on having to wear a tailored suit.

They continued to walk slowly though picked up the pace when the sky began to cloud over and the sun cast a dull warm glow from behind a cloud.

"Told ya Junon sucks, yo...Even the sky is ugly."

Neither of the other two Turks responded and just sped up in order to beat any rainfall. They approached the helicopter allowing Reno to check things over and test the system.

"Alright, time to leave this place."

He slowly lifted off and then angled the aircraft towards Midgar. The flight was in silence and a bit more tense than when they left, but it was not uncomfortable. Rude knew that they were all trying to process a lot of information.

The ride was not too long and Rude was glad to step off and into the hangar. Reno finished properly shutting off the machine while Tseng came up beside Rude.

"Make sure he stays put."

The larger Turk nodded head and the field commander silently marched off. Reno watched him leave as he stood next to his partner.

"Let's get it over with..."

Rude followed his partner to the elevators and Reno pressed the button for a lower floor.

"Man, this party's gonna be a pain, yo. Now with the crazy people runnin' around, security's gonna be stepped up and that means more work for us."

"You sure you're not angry because of the suit?"

The redhead tilted his head a little as he stepped into the elevator.

"Could very well be, yo..."

With a shrug he leaned against the wall with a smirk. They soon arrived at a floor a little bit below and before he got off, Reno ran his hand over all the buttons so that each floor was lit up.

"...What?"

The larger of the two Turks stared blankly at the redhead like a parent does a child when silently scolding him about something. Reno shifted his gaze to a plant to the side and shrugged.

"Eeh..right, let's go."

The level they were on looked like a small lobby with a few scattered store-like sections. Rude wondered what else they kept in the sixty-six or so floors of the building.

"I know what you're thinkin.' Why the hell does ShinRa have a small shopping mall in here? Apparently, big wigs like the executives are generally idiots and need emergency shopping places close by."

They walked across the lobby towards the back corner. The closer they got, the more the redhead walked slower.

"Man...I don't wanna..."

He whined as he trudged towards the tailor behind Rude. The older Turk grabbed him by the shoulder and gently nudged him forward. The gentle nudge caused the redhead to stumble forward right into the shop.

"I've been expecting you!"

They were greeted by a cheerful man and woman. Reno just snorted and slid his arm around the woman's shoulders.

"Let's go sweetheart. Sooner we start, sooner we get done, yo."

She giggled coquettishly as they walked towards the back. The man sighed as he watched them leave.

"Ah, youth. Now, we already have the suit, we just need to see how it fits and make the necessary adjustments."

He calmly led the larger Turk to another room with a three panel mirror in the center. This was nothing new. Anybody who had worn suits more often than once knew how a fitting worked. Rude figured everybody around ShinRa had to be aware considering it was most employees' uniform.

"Why don't you try it on and see how it fits?"

Rude nodded and stepped into the dressing room. Hanging neatly on a hangar on the wall was a simple black suit much more formal than their working attire. As he changed into the new clothing he wondered what Reno would look like in a suit that actually fit and did not look like he pulled it from a trash heap.

"How is it sir?"

There was a light rap on the door. Rude stepped out and nodded.

"Not bad."

He stood patiently while the tailor straightened out the suit here and there, turned him around and pinned a few areas up before nodding.

"Well, that was certainly easy."

The tailor motioned back to the dressing room and Rude carefully began changing back making sure to not undo any pins. It actually fit quite well before any alterations. Then he remembered that he had to give his measurements when signing some papers. So it was apparently used for these things.

"You're much easier to deal with than your friend. That boy can't stand still for two seconds. Not to mention that his measurements are pretty much useless since his weight fluctuates so much thus changing his build...It's like he does everything he can to irritate me."

The bald Turk lightly chuckled. Just about everybody seemed to hold that opinion of the redhead. He did have a way of finding all the perfect ways to annoy somebody else.

He carefully hung the suit up and handed it to the tailor.

"It'll be sent up when it's ready. Thanks for coming!"

"Thanks."

Rude nodded his head and noticed Reno was still absent. However, the sound of giggling and whispers signaled his arrival.

"See ya 'round!"

He waved back at the young tailor who cheerily waved back. After they stepped in the elevator, Reno sighed.

"Man, chick's got looks but totally lacks brains, yo."

"Picky are you?"

The redhead gave Rude a lop-sided grin.

"Nah, I ain't that picky, but a girl's gotta be able to do a little more than sew a suit and giggle."

"High standards."

"Always set your goals high, yo!"

He made a mock gesture of cheering and chuckled. The elevator stopped at their floor and they stepped out. Immediately, they were greeted by the sight of Victoria pacing back and forth gnawing on her thumb. Shanon was watching her pace warily.

"Guess ya found out, huh?"

Perhaps not the most thoughtful and comforting thing to say, but it was enough to stop her movement.

"You're positive?! Y-you're sure his body wasn't there?!"

She grabbed the redhead's jacket and stared up pleadingly. The redhead sighed and gently unwrapped her hands from his suit.

"Yeah...Everythin' fits and besides, Ryoko was stabbed while the others were shot. He most likely initiated the ambush...For what it's worth, sorry, yo."

Victoria's shoulders were shaking though Reno still held her hands. A small stream of tears stained her cheek.

"I can't believe...No...I can believe it...I just...I just wish it wasn't..."

"I don't think any of us want it, yo."

Reno gently shoved her towards Shanon and sighed.

"Take it easy. Tomorrow night's all the more important."

Rude stared at Victoria for a few minutes before following his partner to their rooms. When he got there, the redhead had left the door open and was in the kitchen. Closing the door behind him, Rude went to see what was going on.

Reno yanked out a can of beer and stormed to his room without a word slamming the door in the process.

The bald Turk raised an eyebrow questioningly but shook it off. He walked over to the couch and plopped down. Suddenly, there was a loud stream of colorful curses coming from his partner's room. He was not even going to say or think anything. Rude just decided to leave it at frustration.

Granted, he too was frustrated. So far, within about a week, most of the Turks were being killed one way or another. Now, it was worse since they had an idea and even knew names, but were unable to find them and do something about it.

"This bites, yo."

The redhead came back from his room in a plain shirt and pants a few sizes too big and sat down on the couch next to Rude. He glared menacingly at the blank television screen. Rude reached over and decided to turn the television on so it was not so creepy.

The news was on and the station's reporter was downtown somewhere in front of a large crowd of fairly angry and boisterous people.

"_Excuse me, sir, what do you think about ShinRa Electric Company and the use of mako as an energy source?"_

"_They're murderers! They're killing the planet with all their digging and draining! Down with ShinRa!!"_

"Funny how they fail to realize that the stuff they enjoy and take for granted are because of the very thing they're against, yo."

Reno stared spitefully at the crowd on the screen. Rude studied his partner with mild curiosity. The redhead was a bit of an enigma.

He would one minutes say he hates the company and even admitted to the suffering it had caused others. But then, here he was angry against people who probably had a good reason for hating the company. Reno was willing to fight and die for a company he could care less about. Rude recalled his partner telling him before that this was his job and he would just do it because it is.

"Really, ShinRa's askin' for it, yo. Old man Shinra may know how to run a business, but he's bad with the people. But still, they should just shut up since they don't do anythin' about it."

"Talking does solve problems."

The redheaded Turk took a gulp form his drink.

"Maybe if they say more than 'down with Shinra!' or some other expressive response that really doesn't mean anythin' yo."

"Insightful."

Reno chuckled at the comment. He looked over at Rude and raised his beer can.

"Sometimes alcoholic drunkenness is time of lucid clarity, yo."

Taking another swig of beer, Reno smirked. Rude just shook his head.

"A real philosophy."

"With enough beer, anythin's a philosophy."

Rude smiled lightly and stood up. He wanted to go to bed and start a new day. With any luck, tomorrow's party would go smoothly.

"Night."

His partner nodded and continued to watch the news. Closing the door to his room, Rude let out a heavy sigh and sat down on his bed. He rubbed at his eyes wearily and fell backwards and started staring at the ceiling. He idly thought that he had turned the lights on, but the room was still dark. However, the fan blades were moving in slow circular patterns. Rude just remained mesmerized by the ceiling fan and the way it interrupted the small trail of artificial light from his window. Thoughts began to drift around, his mind unfocused on any specific thought. He could not remember when he drifted off to sleep.

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**A/N:** So what did you think? Yes, I killed more people off...but it is necessary to match up with Before Crisis. And what about Todd? He's certainly gone off places I originally didn't intend for...Then again, I thought this story was going to be about six chapters long but that obviously didn't happen...and it's not ending anytime soon...Funny how that works. Whatever the case, I truly do hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next up: There's a big party and more fighting...go figure...


	12. Eggs

**A/N:** I'm getting progressively slower at updating, aren't I? Oh well, hopefully it should speed up now that I'm done with finals and packing. Packing for what you ask? Well, I'm leaving for Japan tomorrow! Yay. So I'll be gone for almost three weeks. Not that it changes the rate of updating I do now...but at least this time, I have a legitimate excuse.

Anyways, this chapter sets up for the next one that is filled with excitement, action, and adventure...or not. Enough speaking, on to reading. Enjoy!

I don't own FFVII

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Rude decided that fan blades were not conducive to a good nights sleep. He was faintly aware of the light filtering through the shades on the window and the remnants of a very odd dream involving fan blades of all things. He cracked open an eye and thought he saw a blurry blob of red out of the corner of his eye. Closing his eyes again then opening them allowed Rude's eyes to focus. When his vision cleared, a pair of blue eyes loomed over him.

"Mornin'!"

Reno's head flung backwards as Rude jolted straight up in surprise. His heartbeat gradually went back to normal as his partner was smirking. He was resting on his knees on the other side of the bed from where Rude was lying.

"D'ya always sleep like that?"

Rude shook his head.

"Do you always sneak into people's rooms?"

"Mm, depends, yo. But I did knock and ya just didn't answer."

"…"

Reno shrugged and bounced himself off the bed and then left the room.

"Right. The suits are up here, yo. Tseng wants to see us in about an hour. Somethin' about the floor plans or another."

The loud clanging of metal let Rude know that the redhead was in the kitchen somewhere doing something. He just shut the door to his room and examined his suit. It was wrinkled beyond repair. He sighed and grabbed another suit that was pressed and perfect.

After putting it on, he straightened out the covers on his bed and stepped out. The smell of something cooking was in the air. Walking over to the kitchen, he saw Reno hovering over a skillet furiously stabbing at the contents of said skillet.

"What did the eggs ever do to you?"

His partner paused what he was doing and looked up at Rude and then back down at the yellowish crumbles that was supposedly eggs.

"Scrambling them."

He lifted up the skillet and showed off the contents. They were more than scrambled, they were mutilated beyond recognition.

"What's with the cooking?"

Reno turned off the stove and more or less dropped a plate in front of Rude.

"I wanted eggs, yo."

Reno looked at him like he asked the dumbest question in the world. Rude rolled his eyes and began poking the food with his fork.

"Thanks…"

"I swear it tastes better than it looks."

The redhead wasted no time in taking a bite of the mush. Rude stabbed, or rather, scooped a wad and tentatively took a bite. Contrary to what he was expecting, it actually did taste good.

"See? I have yet to make it look good. At least I got the taste down and as they say, 'one step at a time.'"

The bald Turk contained a chuckle and continued to eat his breakfast. He looked over at his partner who was now poking at the food and not doing much else.

"I'm full, yo. Here ya go."

Rude watched as Reno dumped the contents of his plate onto his plate and stood up. The younger Turk pretty much just tossed his plate into the sink.

"Sometime later or another, we're goin' out to catch people for SOLDIER, yo. Then again, we might not get around to it for a little while though…especially with this retarded party courtesy of the president."

Rude nodded his head once and finished the food in front of him fairly quickly while the redhead began scrubbing the plate and then the skillet.

"Damn. Ya really know how to shovel it down, dontcha?"

He just shrugged and brought his plate to the sink.

"Food is food. You eat it."

His partner chuckled and dried his hands on a towel. After then drying the dampness left on his hands on his pants, he walked over to one of the chairs and yanked off his jacket.

"Ready? Let's go. Maybe people will show up early and we can finish sooner."

They walked out of the apartment and shut the door. The two Turks walked down the hallway until they got to one of the board rooms.

"Is this gonna take long?"

Upon his entrance, Reno immediately set about whining to Tseng, the commander, and to just about everybody else in the room.

"Sit down and shut up Reno."

Tseng reprimanded him somewhat while glaring at him. Commander Veld lightly shook his head.

"We'll wait for everybody to get here."

The tone of his voice let Reno know he was stuck hanging around for a while.

"Fun."

He found a spot at the table and sat down. Reno placed his arms on the table and set down his head. Before long, the others in the room could only assume from the silence that he either fell asleep or died. Regardless of which one it was, they just minded their own business.

"Good, now that everybody is here, let's begin."

Commander Veld dimmed the lights and motioned to the wall with a projection of a map.

"This is the Midgar Grand Convention Center and it will be the location of the company ball. On normal occasions, we would simply act as security."

While he was talking, Tseng passed around papers to each person. Rude grabbed his and Reno's before giving a quick tug on his partner's hair. Sluggishly lifting his head and the grabbed the papers, Reno's expression looked more than annoyed.

"But due to the recent events, security needs to be increased to the point of being prepared and if necessary, initiate our own attack."

Rude studied the layout on the papers noting the exits, adjoining rooms, balconies and all other obstacles to make things difficult.

"All of you will assigned to an area and executives. However, since President Shinra and his son seem to be the most likely targets, those guarding them will only focus on them. The rest of you will then keep an eye on multiple heads of company."

By now, the few Turks left had scanned over the detailed map and stared expectantly at their commanders as Tseng turned on the lights.

"Fortunately, we will have the opportunity to asses the location in person. The president will go over to approve the set-up and we will accompany him. Understood?"

"Sir!"

They all stood up and saluted simultaneously. Veld nodded curtly and saluted back as well.

"We leave in ten."

Everybody nodded and began filing out of the room. Reno, however, lounged around a while and Rude stayed even though he was not sure why his partner wanted to hang around since he was so against it in the first place.

"Are ya punishin' me or somethin'? Why'dya give us his royal pain in the ass?"

"Birds of a feather flock together Reno."

Tseng pretty much shoved Reno out of the room followed closely behind by Rude and the commander shaking his head.

"Wouldn't it be nice if tonight went off without a hitch?"

Nobody said anything but Rude had a feeling that they all hoped that, but the grim expressions contradicted that hope.

"Sheesh, ya people are total kill joys, yo."

Reno stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. He had to be the only one who was at least, by all appearance, at total ease.

"Uh-oh. Don't look now. Godzilla's come to eat us all."

Rude jabbed his partner's side to shut him up. He did not want to make Heideigger angry and have him chasing the redhead down. Reno just rolled his eyes.

"Gyahaha! I see you're all off. Don't worry Veld, my soldiers will be around. No need to spread yourself thin. Gyahahaha!"

Everybody did their very best not to cringe at the round man's laugh. Heideigger must have thought he was a genius since he laughed some more and began walking off. Looking down at his smart-aleck partner, Rude could tell Reno was biting his tongue in an attempt to not say anything. It did not last long though.

"Like _you_ would know _anything_ about thin, ya fa-"

Heideigger whipped around to find only Veld nodding his head and Rude's hand clamped over his partner's mouth while dragging him away. Shaking his head, the executive of Defense just shook his head angrily and stalked off.

After he disappeared completely, Rude let go of the struggling redhead. Tseng gave him a sideways glare while Veld began to softly chuckle.

"You really should watch what you say…even if it was quite amusing. I can't have my subordinates being insubordinate to somebody who is technically my superior."

He turned his now serious gaze onto Reno who sighed and looked to the side.

"Yessir…But in my defense, he had that one comin'."

Veld shook his head and continued walking while Reno was trying best to keep a neutral or somewhat downcast expression. However, it did not take long before a smirk worked its way on his face.

"Nothing's going to stop you…is it?"

"No sir. I'm afraid not, but don't worry, I'll keep 'em to myself…for the most part, yo."

Merely a grunt from the commander let them know he acknowledged the given attempt.

"Prepare to leave. I'll escort the president."

"Sir!"

They all saluted as Veld walked off. After he left, Reno slouched and ran his hand through his hair.

"Why do I always feel like a little kid when he talks?"

"Because you are pretty much a little kid."

Tseng shook his head and guided them towards the elevators. Reno stuck out his tongue.

"Then that makes ya an old man, yo."

"Give me a good reason not to throw you out this elevator."

"It'd break the glass and then you'd get in trouble for breakin' company property. Then I'd go splat on the ground and you'd have to do clean-up and crowd control and then the commander would give you tons of paperwork and then go through the process of finding a replacement."

The field commander just stared blankly at his subordinate.

"Sometimes…It just might be worth it."

Reno smirked at his boss and decidedly remained silent. The remaining trip down was in relative silence except for the occasional snide comment from the redhead. The doors slid open and the three Turks stepped out.

By the time they reached outside of the building, the few Turks left were lined outside.

"He's just gonna check it out right? So why does he make us line up like this?"

The redhead slinked towards the end of the line and made himself comfortable. Rude stood next to him proper as ever.

In a few minutes, the president appeared accompanied by his son and Veld. He walked confidently down the line and practically rolled himself into the vehicle. Rufus, graceful as always, slipped in behind his father and then followed by Veld.

It was not until the vehicle drove away that the remaining Turks relaxed and piled into a couple of black SUV's.

"Since when does the President check things beforehand? We aren't gonna have t listen to him practice a speech, are we?"

Tseng rolled his eyes while attempting to ignore what he probably deemed nothing more than a bored child. Rude, sitting shotgun, looked back at Reno who huffed and crossed his arms. Victoria slid in next to him and giggled.

The ride over was uneventful meaning Reno resorted to finding things to entertain himself with. He decided it was fun to see how long it took for Tseng to snap at him. About halfway, he achieved his goal but finally quieted down the rest of the trip.

They arrived at the convention center to find the president's party already there. Reno jumped out of the vehicle and stretched.

"Alright. Let's see the rat trap we're stuck in tonight, yo."

He stepped in line behind Tseng followed by his partner. Rude looked around, studying the locale. Inside, he was surprised at the size. The main building was a cavernous hall with three large balconies on either side. Stairs led down to the main floor leaving the main area slightly depressed to the surrounding hallways.

"Mm, perfect. Tonight should, and will be, perfect."

President Shinra nodded confidently as he looked around. Veld calmly interrupted to warn him of the probably dangers. Rufus snorted when his father went off on an asinine speech about potential threats, the Turks' job, among other insults and rants.

"You two, come with me."

Rufus motioned towards Rude and Reno who obediently began following him.

"Where are you off to boy?"

President Shinra called after his son who irritably glanced over his shoulder.

"To look around. Somebody in our family needs to be prepared."

"Don't mouth off to me."

The older Shinra growled threateningly after his son who turned around and made a gesture of bowing.

"Of course. Forgive me, Father."

Rufus remained bowing while the president snorted at the apology. After a soft stream of curses from Rufus, he stood up straight and marched off.

After silently crossing the floor and entering a large rear hallway, Rufus let out a small sigh.

"The sooner he dies from a heart attack, the better."

"Ya really shouldn't talk about your old man like that, yo."

Rude glanced at his partner who was smirking despite his warnings. Rufus casually picked at a tiny piece of flint on his suit.

"You're one to talk, Turk. Besides, what do you care?"

"I don't really, but ya never know if he'll catch wind of it."

The younger Shinra snorted and smirked smugly.

"Oh, are you implying that you'll tell my father?"

"I ain't implying anythin', yo. Right partner?"

Rude sagely remained silent. While he told himself to expect something like this, he was still uncomfortable with it. Such conversations felt wrong since the president was still around. The two Shinra's obviously did not get along, anybody could tell that. It would be dangerous to show favor to either one. Rude could not be as accepting of one overt the other like his partner.

"Whatever. Whatcha thinkin' anyways?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I don't know about you sometimes."

The young Shinra made the most innocent look he could manage. Rude kept from grimacing. Rufus was like Reno in that they both looked positively evil when smiling like angels.

"I'm not planning anything. I just wanted to look around."

He nonchalantly waltzed around the area leaving Rude and Reno to keep an eye on him but alone to themselves. Reno leaned against a large stone pillar.

"He says that, but yak no wit's not true. But when he wants ya to think he's up to somethin', he isn't. Ya can never tell with him , yo."

Rude nodded his head once as he kept watching the Shinra heir. Not really sure what Rufus was looking for, he just let it be.

"still…There's somethin' goin' on, yo…Well, we'll see. How much is tonight gonna suck if there's an attack?"

"Aren't fights more interesting?"

His partner snorted and reached into his jacket to pull out a toothpick.

"Not when tons of dead weight are in the way."

He had to agree with his partner on that one. If anything did happen, there would be hundreds of guests to get in the way. Rude looked over at Reno and noticed how he was somewhat gnawing on one end of the toothpick.

"Toothpicks?"

"Tseng says I don't need another bad habit like smokin'."

A small chuckle escaped his lips causing the redhead to look at him curiously.

"Out of all the things you do, smoking is the one habit you choose not to have?"

"Don't get me wrong or anythin'. I do smoke or have, just not very often. As good as they are, I can't stand the smell, yo. So, I pretty much eat tiny slivers of wood. These are actually pretty tasty. They got some sort of spice flavor or somethin'."

He offered Rude one who took one and placed it in his mouth. After chewing on it a few minutes, it indeed had some kind of spice, maybe something close to cinnamon, embedded within.

"Taking up wood chewing gentlemen?"

Rufus walked over to them staring amusedly at the toothpicks. Reno shrugged as Rufus casually reached forward and pulled the small container of toothpicks from the redhead's front jacket pocket. Popping one into his mouth, he tossed it back to the Turk and sauntered off.

"Better than dealing with you, sir."

Reno made one last chewing motion before grabbing it and chucking it in a trashcan. Rude did the same and followed the younger Shinra.

They returned to the main floor to find only a few people milling around. Victoria trotted up to them.

"The president, commander, and Tseng are upstairs to check security. You're all supposed to wait here."

Rufus rolled his eyes causing Victoria to stare at him uncertainly. Reno patted her on the back.

"Don't concern yourself with the young master, yo."

He stared pointedly at the heir who smirked smugly and tossed his toothpick to the side. Victoria watched the two get into a silent fight before staring questioningly Rude. He simply shrugged because he simply did not know.

"So, Rude, what do you think about this place?"

"Not great."

"Yeah…"

They were interrupted by a sudden yelp from Reno. Victoria clamped a hand over her mouth and Rude raised an eyebrow.

Rufus was pinching Reno's cheeks causing the redhead to wiggle around. He finally let go.

"Hmph. Be glad that's all you suffered."

The redhead was ruefully rubbing his cheeks as he stuck out his tongue at Rufus when the Shinra heir looked away. Rude just shook his head for the hundredth time that day.

"Good. You're back. Let's go."

The president strode confidently into the room followed by the other Turks. Rufus nodded his head while Reno, Rufus, and Victoria fell in line behind.

They remained silent as President Shinra continued on about everything going smoothly and how he expected Veld to make sure of that. Then the commander assured him the Turks would do everything they could. Rufus subtly rolled his eyes as he followed his father into their vehicle.

After the door shut, all the Turks seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Reno ran his hand through his hair ruffling it up as they piled into their respective transportation.

"I can already tell, yo. Tonight's gonna be a blast."

"Just be prepared for anything."

Tseng cautioned all of them as he began driving. Reno leaned forward to get a better look at his superior.

"So what are they doin' about security now?"

"The center's own guards and some of SOLDIER have been posted there until tonight."

"Ooh, I feel safer already, yo."

He leaned back again and slouched in his seat. Victoria idly twirled a chunk of her hair before looking at Reno curiously.

"Umm, what do you know about Ms. Scarlett?"

Rude cocked an eyebrow when Tseng made a small snorting noise. He also heard chuckling from Reno and Shanon.

"Why? Is that _thing_ what you're guardin' tonight?"

Her partner nodded his head and grinned. Victoria and Rude glanced at each other questioningly. Shanon patter her shoulder.

"Just be glad we don't have to keep track of Heideigger…"

"But Shanon, doesn't she hate you or somethin'?"

"What? Why?"

Victoria looked up at her partner who shrugged.

"She's mad because I turned down her offer for a…relationship of sorts. Plus, I think she's jealous of me. Quite an ugly person up close actually."

"But I though Ms. Scarlett was supposed to be pretty. From what little I've seen of her, I think she looks pretty."

Reno shook his head and shuddered.

"Skin deep, hell yeah, you could easily call her a looker, yo…But after bein' around her a little bit, ya find her looks are the only things she's got."

"I see."

Tseng checked his rearview mirror and chuckled softly.

"Don't worry about what you hear. Just do your job and keep an eye on her. Unfortunately, you will have to deal with the most mundane conversations."

Reno leaned forward and not so quietly mentioned his insight.

"Yeah, like one time, she kept asking Tseng about his hair for like, three hours with a colleague or somethin'."

"Three and a half and why do you know that?"

"I overheard and besides, after she got done with you, she kept pawing my hair. At least ya didn't have that banshee's claws in your hair. Rude's in luck, she can't bring up hair with him, yo."

He patted Rude's head to make his point. Said bald Turk swatted his partner's hand away making Victoria giggle.

"Oh hey, what poor saps got Heideigger?"

"Nozick and Rawl."

Shanon and Reno began laughing leaving their partner's clueless.

"C'mon, you remember. Those two dumb asses ya met a while back in the hallway outside Tseng's office when we were first paired up."

Rude thought back towards the beginning and suddenly recalled the two Turks warning him about Reno. He faintly recalled Tseng mentioning a punishment.

"Not that I'm complaining, but, how did they get that?"

Shanon brushed a stray strand of hair away. Tseng simply shrugged.

"We determined it would be best for them. They're also guarding Hojo."

"Talk about cruel justice, yo. Hey, who else is on your list?"

"A real bore."

"Oh, Palmer?"

"Yes. Anything I should know about him?"

She sighed expecting some other long explanation that explained nothing. However, Reno just half-shrugged.

"Nothin' except that he's boring."

Both Victoria and Rude were surprised at the, well, boring response. The female Turk turned her head to look at the silent Turk.

"Who are you guarding?"

"Rufus Shinra."

"So, you're keeping around him? Lucky, you don't have to deal with two fo them."

The redhead scratched his head thoughtfully.

"I guess, but Rufus' a handful, right partner?"

Rude nodded his head once, recalling the young Shinra's plan from earlier. If anything did happen tonight, it would be an ordeal with Rufus.

"Oh, I heard ya hve to wear a dress, yo. Whatcha don' about weapons?"

He stared at her genuinely curious. Victoria began to blush making the redhead more curious.

"Ryoko always wore some sort of suit, so she could hide things, but, what about you?"

Shanon shook his head and explained in Victoria's stead.

"If anything happens, she's going to have to hike up her dress. The president made it clear that no weapons be showing in order to ensure the guests' comfort.

"Oh. Guess you're hoping nothin' happens, huh?"

She nodded her head and quickly rubbed her cheeks to get the blood moving again.

"Alright children, car ride's over."

They were in the parking garage again. Rude was relieved that they did not have to line up just so the president could walk back in.

Tseng waited for the second vehicle to pull up before giving out further instructions.

"Alright. Be dressed, ready, and out front by 1800 hours. Until then, you're dismissed."

"Sir!"

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**A/N: **How was it? Sorry if there are mistakes. I'm so tired and I want to sleep before I get up at 4 in the morning for a 15 hour flight...Well, I'm glad I could post something before I left to leave you all with something. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!


	13. Party

**A/N:** Haha, I return! Japan was great. The plane flight returning home wasn't bad at all...going was a whole other story...I wound up in Canada of all places...Yes, they detoured me all the way to CANADA! I got to Japan a day late, but oh well, what happens happens. The rest of the time was great. Shibuya is so much fun.

Anyways, I'm happy to be able to return to my writing. After sorting through everything and getting back on the right time, I decided to write. My inspiration stemmed from all the wonderful reviewers. Thank you all so much!!! It makes me glad that people are enjoying this little story. So here it is, the next chapter. Let's see...I guess the only warning is a couple of swear words. Anyhoo, Please enjoy!

I don't own FF VII

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"Um, Sir?"

Victoria stared expectantly at Reno who stared back with a blank stare. It took a few painful seconds to tick by before realization struck the redhead.

"Oh right. Sorry, yo. Don't get too many people callin' me that. What's up?"

"Do you have a second?"

"I'd assume so. Listen, if you're concerned about the rumor that Scarlet is like a succubus or something like that-"

"Eer, no, that's not it..."

The redhead slowly scratched his head as Victoria began shuffling her feet and gnawing on her bottom lip. Then, it suddenly looked like a light bulb switched on.

"Oh. Uh yeah, sure. Yo, just ignore the junk in the room."

Rude just nodded his head as he stepped onto the elevator going up. The ride up was silently except for some chattering about the upcoming party and everybody's positions. The lift stopped and everybody stepped out. Some went to the training room while others went back to their room.

The silent Turk steadily made his way back to the living area and pulled out the key to the door. Upon entering and shutting the door behind him, Rude immediately spotted the "junk" in the corner of the living room. Actually, he did see it earlier, but given the circumstances the current mood of his partner, he had just left it alone.

Since there was nothing he could really do, Rude decided he might as well get rid of it for Reno if only to kill some time. Stooping over, he caught a better look at the items.

"What the hell…"

The box was filled with firecrackers and some other fire related items. There were also odds and ends of machinery in it. It looked like the redhead had found the biggest machine he could and tore it apart. There were pieces of plastic, metal, and wires. Rude was very tempted to check out his partner's room to see why he would have such objects and if he should be concerned about anything going off unexpectedly. Thinking better of it, he suddenly had a different idea. Checking the clock on the wall, there was still a good amount of time left.

Pulling the box towards the couch, Rude sat down and began pulling various objects out and setting it on the coffee table. The minutes clicked by as Rude examined and considered each item on the table and began separating the pieces apart. However minutes or hours passed, Reno suddenly popped into the room with a slam of the door.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Nothing much."

Rude kept working as he partner bounced over to check for himself what this nothing was. He hovered over the back of the couch and stared over his shoulder.

"So ya call makin' a high yield explosive in the living room 'nothing'?"

He paused what he was doing to look at his partner. They stared blankly at each other for a few minutes when a small and amused lop-sided grin formed on the redhead's features.

"Ya like makin' bombs then? That's cool man. I like blowing things up too, yo. When ya finish it, we'll find somethin' or someone to use it on."

He tapped Rude on the shoulder and chuckled.

"Whatever. Just try not to blow us up, yo."

Rude watched Reno go to his room before turning back to his work. On the table, a crude yet very definitive bomb was sitting happily. By combining the various pieces of scrap, Rude had methodically assembled a home-made bomb. He may not have been the most mechanically inclined, but the creation of explosives was something he had always been good at. He was of the opinion that just about anything could become an explosive.

Shaking his head, Rude stood up and stretched. Checking the clock again, he found that there was about an hour left before they were required to meet.

He picked up the box still filled with scraps along with his newly made explosive and placed them in the corner of his room. Not that it took him very long to get ready, Rude always liked to do things early. He started the shower and while the water was warming up, pulled out his brand new dress suit. It was not unlike their uniform, except, this one had a more formal cut border lining tuxedo. Laying it out neatly on his bed, Rude then went back to the shower.

It did not take long for him to get cleaned up and dried off. He carefully pulled on the pants and buttoned his dress shirt with care in order to prevent any wrinkles. After fastening the cuffs, Rude deftly wrapped the silk tie around his neck. With a few twists and tucks the tie was tightened and straightened. Checking it in the mirror and satisfied with the results, Rude slipped on the jacket and buttoned it. With a final tug to straighten his outfit, Rude was satisfied with the results.

Looking at his watch, there was about half an hour left. He looked over at his partner's closed door and tried to listen for sounds of movements. After a few seconds of silence, the door suddenly flung open and the redhead practically ran into Rude.

"What?"

Reno motioned to his neck in a minor panic causing Rude to examine the area. He was shocked, stunned, but mostly amused. Somehow, beyond his comprehension, Reno managed to knot his tie backwards and in a manner as such that it was more or less suffocating him.

"How the…"

Even while he wondered, Rude gently yet forcefully attempted to undo the tie. After some tugging, the knot was finally loosened resulting in the redhead taking a deep breath of relief.

"This is why I hate ties, yo."

"Do you even know how to knot a tie?"

Reno slipped the tie off his neck and glared at Rude.

"Well obviously not."

Rude could not help but chuckle a little at his partner's pouting. Shaking his head, he grabbed the tie from his partner and straightened it out.

"Stand still."

The redhead stood still eyeing the tie in Rude's hand warily. The bald Turk wrapped it around Reno's neck and then began properly knotting the tie. He recalled the times when his was a child and his mother did this for him.

"There."

He straightened up and examined the work. Reno's tie was now neatly made up and was not choking his partner. Reno fingered the tie and seemed stunned.

"How'd ya do that? Tck…guess that means I should learn how…can't have ya doin' it for me all the time, yo. Ah, whatever. Thanks."

Rude nodded and watched the redhead bounce back to his room. He wondered what his partner would look like with proper formal attire. Even though he was already partway dressed when he came running out, his shirt was still un-tucked and his hair was still messy and wet.

"'Kay, let's go."

Rude almost did a double take when the redhead came out. To say the least, Reno looked almost unrecognizable. For once, he was wearing a proper suit the proper way. His hair was combed out and instead of going every which way, it hung perfectly straight.

"What?"

"You look…different."

"Ya mean charmin' and good-lookin', yo."

He grinned at Rude who followed his partner out. The redhead really was different looking. For starters, the fitted suit accentuated the fact that Reno was, what Rude decided, scrawny. There was nothing substantial about the redhead's figure. It baffled his mind that Reno was such a strong and able Turk. He recalled their first fight and the speed and power behind the redhead's attacks.

"Whatcha starin' at? Am I really the stunning?"

"No. Just scrawny."

"I am not scrawny!"

Reno huffed and crossed his arms while he stomped into the elevator.

"I'm just-"

"Scrawny."

Rude let a small smirk grace his features. It was too easy. Getting reactions out of the redhead was lot easier than he had originally though. His partner was ranting on about something in his defense resulting in him pouting at Rude.

The larger Turk studied his partner some more and realizing something new. Reno looked young. He was obviously young age-wise, but with his hair down and right sized suit, he looked so much younger. Rude always thought that such things would make the redhead more mature. It was an odd result to say the least.

"I hate these things, yo. Freakin' stuffy."

It did not take long for Reno to start fidgeting and tug at his suit. Rude continued to smirk subtly. Whether or not his partner looked mature, his language quirks would make him sound like the punk kid he was.

"How long d'ya think this is gonna last?"

Rude shrugged casually.

"Probably late."

"Dammit…"

The redhead crossed his arms and leaned against the elevator wall. The ride down was silent except for the occasional rustling of clothing as Reno continued to tug at his suit.

A small ringing signaled the end of the ride letting the two out in the front lobby. The few other Turks were already present except for Victoria who was behind a door with Shanon pulling on her arm.

"Whatcha playin'?"

Rude and Reno walked over to check out the situation.

"Please, you look beautiful…Now come on out."

Shanon continued to plead with her while the female Turk adamantly refused. Reno smirked and decided to take a more direct approach.

"Ah! What are you doing?!" Put me down!"

The redhead had slid behind the door to where Victoria was and surprised her by tossing her over his shoulder.

"There ya go. Hey, whatcha hidin' for? Shanon's right, ya do look good!"

Victoria was blushing as she stood uncomfortably in her dress while everybody studied her. It was a simple yet elegant blue dress. Rude thought she looked like she was going to prom.

"I've never really worn a dress like this before…It is kinda pretty…isn't it?"

"Yer a real hottie, babe. Better watch out for Scarlet; she's the jealous type, yo."

Reno winked at her making her blush some more. Shanon nodded his head in agreement.

"Everybody here? Good. The executives will be down shortly. You know your jobs, so do them."

"Sir!"

All the Turks saluted at Commander Veld who saluted back. Tseng the stepped forward, clean cut as always, and held up a small metal device.

"You all have one of these in some accessory, correct?"

They all looked around and pulled each accessory and held it up.

"Good. This will generate a signal you can pick up with your PHS and can act as a communication device but with a limited range. I won't say anymore since I am sure you read your reports."

Tseng paused and eyed Reno a minute before resuming his instructions.

"Keep alert and be prepared for anything."

"Sir."

Again, they saluted and then went about equipping their accessories.

"What's your's?"

Reno looked questioningly at Victoria who showed him a bright silver necklace with a small charm. Rude leaned over a little bit to et a better look. He then turned his attention to Shanon.

"Bracelet."

He slid his sleeve a short way and showed off a delicate gold bracelet that looked like something a woman would be more inclined to wear.

"Could ya be any more of a girl?"

The redhead ducked as Shanon attempted to smack him upside the head. Victoria tapped Rude on his shoulder.

"What about you?"

Rude motioned to his left ear. She studied it for a while and still looked clueless.

"Um…which one?"

It was one of those moments Rude felt like slapping himself. He forgot that he had way more than one ear piecing. Motioning to the lowest one cleared things up.

"Reno, here."

The commander and Tseng walked over to the small gathering of Turks with Tseng handing something to the redhead.

"Try not to destroy this one. Reeve put a lot of planning into these things."

Reno held up a small silver loop and then brought it up to his left ear. After fiddling with the clasp, he was able to securely attach the earring.

"I didn't know you had a piercing, sir."

"Oh, yeah, just one though. The last one kinda got busted up so I hadn't been wearin' one recently."

He let his hair fall over his face again and smirked as he looked up at Rude.

"Having a person stab your ear with a sharp piece of metal is somethin' I'd rather do only once."

"Hmph…putting it like that…"

Veld just lightly smirked and shook his head.

"Heads up, stay sharp…they're here."

All the Turks lined up. They formed two rows facing each other so that partners were across from each other. The executives came out and walked between the two rows. In perfectly timed motion, as the two executives walked by, the appropriate pair of Turks stepped right behind and followed.

The final people to exit the building and enter their own limousine were the president and his son. Rude stepped in time behind Veld and Tseng with Reno right beside him. The car ride over was silent and uneventful and pleasantly enough, the redhead behaved himself.

"Everything better go smoothly."

The president growled threateningly at Veld who remained as unperturbed as usual.

"Of course, sir."

Reno subtly rolled his eyes earning a small nudge from Rude.

"We're here, yo."

So much for complete silence. Veld lightly shook his head while Tseng closed his eyes and took a deep breath. President Shinra whipped his head around to glare at the redhead.

"Best keep your mouth shut, Turk. I can't have an uneducated rat running around."

"But of course, sir. All propriety shall be maintained and any reprehensible behavior shall be dealt with swift vindication."

Rude just dropped his head and clasped his hands. The redhead had on a face of mock humility and politeness. A small smirk crept along Rufus' features.

"Good. I expect as such."

Thankfully, the president was either in a good mood or had no come back since he just pointedly stared at the redhead who shrugged. They stepped out of the vehicle and stood to the side to allow the two Shinra to get out. The minute they did, a blinding flash of light assaulted them all as reporters and photographers ran over each other trying to get a single photograph of one of the most powerful men on the planet.

The president and Rufus walked slowly, pausing every so often to pose for a prominent newspaper or magazine. Rude thought he might go blind before they even reached the ballroom. He looked over at his partner who kept his head slightly bowed using his hair to hide behind. The bald Turk, for once, wished he had hair.

"We're in. Now stay close, but don't be noticed. Be present but be forgettable."

"Good directions boss…they make tons of sense, yo."

Tseng mumbled some last minute commands before drifting off with the president. Rufus seemed glad to be able to separate from his father. He plastered on a smile that could charm the devil and began mingling with the younger crowd, particularly of the female kind.

Doing his best to blend in was a little more difficult since he was taller and bigger than most not to mention more than self-aware of himself. Rude looked for his partner and was slightly disconcerted that he could not immediately pull out flaming red hair. After scanning the crowd a bit closer, he finally found him.

Reno was surrounded by a flock of girls. Rude resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Between Rufus and the redhead, no woman was safe. Satisfied in knowing where they were, Rude just kept slightly back and leaned against the wall and subtly changing his location as Rufus moved.

"Say, what are you doing off by yourself?"

A soft velvety voice approached Rude making him look to his side.

"Ooh, the strong silent type, huh?"

The woman waltzed over with a slightly unsteady walk. Rude briefly checked his watch and then back at the woman cradling a champagne glass. Ignoring her, Rude went back to watching the crowd.

"Don't think I'm pretty?"

She made a move to latch onto his arm, but he moved last minute causing her to stumble. Before she could fall however, Rude caught her by the upper arm.

"Hey, thanks…You're holding a bit tight. I'm fine really."

The woman tugged her arm but there was no way she would get loose. Rude continued to hold on and attempted to get Reno's attention. It actually was not as difficult as he imagined since the redhead appeared to have a short attention span. So, he would continue to talk, or flirt, but was always looking around at something else. Rude was able to catch Reno's gaze and motioned him over. The redhead said something else to make the surrounding females giggle before weaving his way over.

"Yeah?"

Rude tugged on the woman's arm so she was closer to his partner. She glared at the taller Turk before turning her gaze at Reno.

"Get him off me. I was just being friendly."

"Friendly, huh?"

The redhead met the pitiful gaze of the restrained woman. The thin strap of her dress slipped suggestively down her shoulder. Reno studied her for a brief moment running his eyes over her body and then smirked.

"Ya want to get friendly?"

She smiled seductively and ran her tongue over her top teeth. Reno reached out and then reached down the top of her dress subtly and then gave a small tug. He continued to smirk as the woman's smile slowly faded and was soon replaced by a small scowl.

"But who else would I be getting' friendly with?"

He held up a small wireless microphone, grabbed a champagne glass passing by and dropped it in.

"Now, what other goodies are ya hidin' in there?"

Rude kept a tight hold on her while watching Rufus. His partner seemed to be doing fine. His attention was withdrawn when Reno waved happily at a man a short distance away. He walked over quickly and stopped when he was beside Reno.

"We got a live one. Show her back."

"Sir."

The man forcefully yet subtly took the woman from Rude and led her to a side exit. Reno patted him on the shoulder.

"Impressive. How'dya figure her out?"

"Too early to be drunk."

Reno smirked and looked up at him smugly.

"Fine, but what made ya suspect her?"

"What made you?"

"I know sluts, and she was no normal slut comin' on to ya. 'Sides, women got good places to hide things."

Rude let out a low chuckle.

"What if you were wrong?"

"Then I would have gotten a free feel, yo."

Reno began chuckling as well as they leaned against the wall. After scanning the crowd for any other suspicious persons, the redhead pushed off and began walking away.

"Keep your eyes open. I can't go around feelin' everybody up."

Rude nodded his head and sighed. The fact that there was one suspicious individual with a live wire did not signal good things to come. As he continued to stay off to the side and study the crowd, he saw the redhead mumbling something to Tseng. A flash of surprise crossed the field commander's face before returning to a more neutral expression.

"I hate this party."

He was surprised when Victoria strode up to him and leaned against the wall with a huff. She would then balance on a single foot for a while before switching legs.

"I hate parties. I hate this dress, I hate these shoes, and if another guy 'accidentally' lets his hands slip, I'm gonna land a lead bullet in his sorry ass. That ought to teach 'em."

That was unusually entertaining. Rude had never heard the female Turk so vehemently passionate about something. She took a deep breath and sighed slowly.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to this attention. Oh, I know it's bad, but I hope something happens…Then I could get out of these shoes and-"

"Shoot somebody?"

Victoria giggled. Now that was more familiar. Not sure if she heard yet, Rude decided to bring up the recent event.

"You might get your chance. A woman was just apprehended with a live wire."

The female Turk looked up at Rude and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.

"Really? That can't be good, can it? I better give Shanon the heads up."

She grunted as she planted her feet on the ground and took a moment to gain her balance before walking shakily into the crowds.

"Let's move. His highness is headin' for the bar, yo. I only pray it ain't to hit on that thing over there."

Rude managed to hide his surprise, but somehow, Reno managed to sneak up next to Rude and crossed his arms.

"Great. Now we're all goin' to be on edge the rest of this party."

He snorted and tugged on Rude's sleeve to get him to get moving. They weaved their way through the crowd keeping an eye on Rufus who seemed to be gliding through the sea of people with ease. They were soon on the other side of the room leaning casually against the bar while letting Rufus go about his business. It turned out the younger Shinra was not interested in a gaudy woman not being discrete about the object of her staring.

"Do ya have a bad feelin' about that guy?"

Reno nodded his head towards the man Rufus was talking to. Rude studied the individual. It was impossible to tell what they were saying, but the man had a smile reminding Rude of a snake about to strike. The longer he studied him, the more he understood his partner's growing agitation.

"So…what to do, what to do…"

The redhead slid next to Rufus when the man he was talking to left.

"So, who were ya actually being friendly to?"

Rufus kept his back to the Turk as he sipped a glass of something or another. Rude wondered if the heir to the company drank like Reno.

"What's it to you Turk? Besides, I heard you were friendly yourself with an unknown woman."

Reno crossed his arms and pretty much stole the shot glass the bartender placed for another customer.

"Just doin' my job, yo."

"As am I…as am I. Should you really be drinking on the job Reno?"

The redhead shrugged and tossed the shot glass back to the bartender who gave a reproving glare.

"It was just a shot and you're gradually makin' me need more."

"So I am responsible for you binge drinking habits? I am so hurt."

As seemed to be the usual routine, the two fell into their routines of trying to smart off to each other while keeping their respective social positions.

"Yeah, ya should be. I am the one protectin' ya, yo."

"I feel so much safer knowing that."

Rude resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the two. So far, there was no sign of any trouble. However, that meant nothing in the long run. He hoped that one woman was it, but, he agreed with Reno that something was off.

"Hn…That can't be good, yo."

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**A/N:** How was it? Hopefully, enjoyable. I meant to actually get to the action this chapter, but it ended up being a little longer than anticipated. That seems to be the story behind the story...I bite at planning. Regardless, the story is going off on its own and I am enjoying the writing. I can only hope all the readers are enjoying it too. Ayways, please look forward to the next chapter!!


	14. Whack

**A/N:** Here is another chapter. I'm actually impressed that I got one out this fast what with summer school and laziness. All of your reviews have given me so much inspiration and motivation. For that, I thank you all very much! Oh yeah, I also broke 100 reviews, which is a great thing for me. Since I could not do any of this without support, I was thinking of writing some side thing or another. As for the subject matter, I thought I would leave that up to you, the readers. So, as you read through this chapter, come up with ideas you would like to see in a fic and I will see what I can do. Not much as thanks, or if you would even want that, but I truly am grateful.

Anyhoo, this chapter was kind of fun to write. A couple of swear words here and there and that's about it for warning. So, please read and enjoy!

I don't own FFVII

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If ever there were words one did not want to hear from a certain redhead Turk, it was "That can't be good" plus or minus the "yo" part. Rude felt himself tense up as Reno pointed at the Commander Veld. He was subtly scanning the room with tense features. Rude took up a position next his partner and slightly in front of Rufus. It did not take long for the other vigilant Turks to notice the mounting tension.

The party went on blissfully unaware as to the now anxious set of Turks. But eventually, even the tipsy party-goers noticed something was wrong when all the lights turned off.

"Smart move I suppose."

Rude ignored the redhead as he readied himself. There was now a fairly noisy murmur and the sound of the president trying to calm down his guests. As he scanned the room, there was no way for the large Turk to see what was happening. The lack of a full moon and the overall hooded design of the building prevented any light from passing through. Rude felt something brush against his sleeve and was able to make out Reno who was scanning the room.

"Here they come, yo."

He studied his partner or rather, just his eyes as that was about the only thing he could distinctly make out. A pale glow emanated from the redhead's eyes. Rude instantly thought of a cat. In actuality, he figured he was just about on the mark too since his partner could apparently see what was happening while he was left in the dark, literally.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! I hope you are all enjoying the president's spectacular party. However, I am afraid I have to end the party a little earlier than anticipated."

A loud masculine voice echoed throughout the large room and the general murmurs of the crowd made it impossible for Rude to determine the location. He was about to check with Reno when he noticed there was no longer anybody next to him. Whipping his head around, he was relieved to see the outline of Rufus. Then, another noise alerted him of more dangers as the now silent ballroom let him hear the dull thuds of footsteps as they encircled the perimeter.

"It would be best if everybody would cooperate. This is especially true for SOLDIER and most of all, the ShinRa lapdogs, the Turks. By now, any personal belongings such as accessories and PHS units are being collected. If you do resist, or somebody imagines themselves a hero, I am afraid drastic measures must be taken."

As he finished, Rude heard the unmistakable clicking of a gun the following sound of a bullet being fired off into an overhead light. A unanimous scream from the sound and shards of lighting waved through.

"Now everybody stay calm and let us do our job."

There was a flurry of whimpers from the crowd as the attackers began frisking the guests and taking anything of value. Rude chanced a glance back at Rufus now that his eyes were beginning to adjust to the lighting or lack thereof. The young heir was calmly leaning against the bar counter behaving as though nothing were amiss. Rude decided he really did run with an odd crowd.

"Keep still and don't move."

A gruff, somewhat raspy voice approached Rude and forcefully placed his hand on his shoulder while jamming a gun in his back. His assailant than began to frisk him taking his gun, PHS, and anything else he deemed threatening. The only thing that stuck out as odd for him was that the attacker took his fountain pen. Rude was positive that his pen was nothing special and he knew for a fact he could not take down a whole squad of armed men with a single pen. Then again, who knew what this person was thinking. As an interesting train of thought, Rude, for some reason or another, thought about his partner and the redhead's fascination with it.

"Come with me. All Turks, over here."

A gun nudged against his back and was led to the front where he was forced to sit. Next to him were Victoria and Shanon. In addition were Tseng and Veld along with all the other Turks.

"Four more in the room."

Rude tilted his head lightly as the attacker mumbled somewhat loudly as he stepped away. He then glanced over at all the Turks and counted. He was positive he knew everybody or at least, he recognized them. Everybody was accounted for. Then, he suddenly understood the situation.

"Boss, all the Turks are here."

Their captor called out to the man who was apparently their leader.

"Good. Now grab the president's brat."

"Got it Boss."

The lackey checked the group once more and then walked off. As he did, Rude felt a couple of objects fall in his lap. He examined the object and was stumped as to why he was now holding Reno's goggles. He was interrupted in his thoughts by Tseng who lightly nudged him in the arm.

"Night vision."

Rude studied them again and then subtly slipped them on. Tseng tapped the side and then, he was able to see what was happening. Looking around with as little movement as possible, he was able to count out four armed men. Two were at the back whispering about something. It ended when one of them ran off. Night vision was a wonderful thing though Rude briefly wondered why the redhead would need it if he could see in the dark naturally. However, this was not the place to amuse such thoughts.

"One ran back, sir. Another one is approaching."

"Take him down then."

"Yessir."

As one of the masked men approached, Rude grabbed the man's leg and pulled. He fell and before any major noise could be made, Rude neatly snapped the man's neck. He quickly looked around and was glad the leader had not noticed anything as he was still occupied with another lackey.

The other Turks quickly disarmed him and then shoved the body into the corner. Rude pulled out his newly acquired PHS when it began buzzing. He flipped it open and checked the message. It had the two words, "Lights" and "Nightvision." Rude did not have much time to react.

"Crap."

Rude whipped off the goggles and none too late before there was a hum and the lights came back on.

"What the hell?!"

The two remaining men screeched in pain as the sudden flood of light blurred their sensitive night vision equipment. Rude took the opportunity to fire off the gun he took from the fallen man and managed to take out the remaining two. Veld quickly ordered the guests to stay down as more armed men came in to see what the problem was.

"Duck!"

The bald Turk hit the floor as another gunshot rang out. Victoria dropped another attacker that charged at Rude. He stood back up and began looking for the others.

"Rude, go check on Reno. Everybody else, spread out cover the entrances and exits!"

The larger Turk nodded at Victoria as he passed by and smiled a little when he saw she ditched her heels and apparently used them to lay an attacker out cold.

He ran into the back towards the bar to find Rufus missing. Then, he ran into the back hallway and looked around trying to decide where the redhead would be. Rude then determined that he should try the stairs and go to the basement since that was the most likely place that would hold the light generator.

When he entered the stairwell, he knew he was going the right way when he heard yelling down below. Taking two or three steps at a time, Rude sped down and paused as he approached a single door labeled "Generator." Checking his weapon again, he kicked in the door and fired.

Two men fell immediately when he burst in. Rude assessed the situation and voted on finding cover. There were large pipes leading around the room and the space between them and the wall was as good a cover as anything else in the room. He did not think twice before jumping over and ducking behind them.

"Good of ya to join us, yo!"

He did not know what to think when he looked to his side saw none other than Reno and Rufus. The redhead was back in his suit, but now had it looking like his everyday uniform. The tie mysteriously disappeared all together. Rufus on the other hand, was as impeccably neat as always. They both had their guns drawn and looked more than amused with the situation.

"How are things top-side?"

"Fine."

"Is my father dead?"

"Ya sick freak. Let's get outta here before wishin' your old man dead, yo."

Rufus glanced at the redhead who was continually blowing stray strands of hair out of his eyes.

"On the contrary, I was merely concerned about Father's condition."

"He's fine."

"That's good."

Despite what he said, Rufus did not seem very sincere. Then again, he did not seem like a very sincere type of person. Reno rolled his eyes as he ejected an empty magazine and snapped in a new one.

"Watch him…And, you, better not shoot me."

He pointed a finger at Rufus who tried to look as innocent as possible creating a small chuckle from the redhead as he then blew another chunk of hair out of his face. Rude then remembered the goggles he had. He pulled them out of his pocket and offered them up to the redhead. Reno gratefully took them from him and hung them on his neck. Then, he brought the lenses upward to rest against his forehead, pushing his hair back as he did. The goggles acted like a hair band and kept most of his hair from falling back over his face except for a few small chunks of hair. Now, he looked like he usually did. His flaming red hair looked like a mess.

"Fun, fun, let's go."

Reno deftly leaped over their hiding spot and began ducking and weaving while randomly firing off his gun at the few men left. As he did, Rude and Rufus peered over and shot anybody in their line of sight.

"Clear this way, yo."

Rude and Rufus both stood up and chased after the redhead with the larger Turk bringing up the rear. They quickly climbed the stairs and found Reno standing protectively in the doorway leading to the back hall.

"Grab him!"

There was a loud crash as one of the last attackers stumbled out of the main ballroom. Victoria came after him and yelled to Reno."

"Got it!"

The redhead sprinted off with an incredible burst of speed and easily closed the gap. The man who was fleeing tried to pull a gun, but Reno was too quick and tackled him. He squirmed, making it difficult for Reno to hold him down.

"Move!"

Reno heard it and barely had time to roll away and avoid a metal rod slamming down on his head. Instead, it made contact with the attacker's head effectively stopping his squirming. Victoria huffed as she stood victorious over her prey.

"What now bitch?!"

Rude came over and helped his partner stand up while staring blankly at the female Turk. Reno eyed her in amusement.

"My, my, remind me never to get on her bad side, yo."

That seemed to snap her out of her adrenaline fueled reverie. Her hand flew up to her mouth and began blushing profusely.

"W-well, h-he…He asked for it!"

Reno, Rufus, and Rude stared at her silently. She began to blush an even darker crimson.

"Rude knows! I told him that if another guy tries to feel me up was going to get some lead! Oh dear, I'm so, so sorry sir!"

She deeply bowed to Rufus who made a casual waving gesture dismissing her entirely.

"Stop bowing. Let's go."

"Sir."

As always, he coolly and calmly ordered all three Turks. Rude grabbed the now unconscious man by the back of his shirt and dragged him along.

When they entered the main room again, the guests were being led out in an orderly manner with the president still at the front talking with all guests passing by.

Tseng trotted up to them and checked over Rufus.

"Are you alright sir?"

"I'm fine."

"Very good. This way please."

He led the younger Shinra away as the commander walked up. Veld studied the unconscious man and nodded his head.

"Good work…And a good job to you young lady."

Victoria blushed and bowed in thanks. He then motioned for a couple of SOLDIER to take their captive away.

"I see your suit didn't last long."

Reno looked down and examined his clothing.

"My tie made a noble sacrifice. You can find it in the balcony along with one of these guys, yo."

Rude and Victoria stared at the redhead who shrugged and crossed his arms.

"Didn't I always say it was like wearin' a noose?"

The commander let out a soft snort and shook his head.

"Whatever the case, you three can expect a bonus in the next paycheck for your outstanding work."

"Sir."

The three Turks saluted as Veld nodded his had again and walked off to join the president.

"Would ya look at that, yo."

Reno pointed towards the president who was currently keeping an arm around his son's shoulders smiling. Rufus was also smiling though it looked a little strained.

"What a show. Ah well, good PR I guess."

The larger Turk had to agree. Anybody who saw or heard the two behind locked doors would know it was all just a show for the remaining guests. Both were probably wishing each other dead, at least for Rufus. If President Shinra was concerned about his son, it was not out of love, but the prospect of losing a potential heir and investment.

"You shouldn't say things like that."

Victoria scolded Reno who shrugged. However, before he could say anything, Shanon came up.

"It's not exactly a secret. C'mon, Palmer and Scarlet are leaving."

"Right. See you guys around."

She waved as she followed behind the two executives. Slowly, the remaining Turks left with the remaining heads of the company. This was not sitting great with Reno who was visibly fidgeting and twitching.

"Why can't they leave like everybody else? Let's get outta here."

The redhead was rocking back and forth on his feet with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Rude placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him still. It was making the few remaining guests nervous and he did not want the president on their case. Seeing as how Reno still managed to keep moving something, Rude tried to distract him.

"Where did you get those goggles anyways?"

Reno froze in his spot as he suddenly looked deep in thought.

"Wait…uh, oh yeah, the development department or whatever they are. They made 'em up, yo."

"…Why do you have them?"

"Um, because they gave 'em to me?"

He looked up questioningly at Rude seeming much like a child hoping they got the right answer. The larger Turk refrained from shaking his head as he shifted the weight in his stance.

"Nobody else has them."

"Oh. Yeah, they're kinda special. 'Sides, nobody else ever asked, yo!"

Still keeping the president and Rufus in his sights he secretly congratulated himself on keeping his partner in check. An amused grin made its way onto Reno's face as he seemed to be thinking about something.

"Heh, I was bored one day and decided to explore a bit…Ends up, I stumbled, literally, into the weapon and accessory department of development. All kinds of freaky geeks down there, but pretty nice guys."

"And they just decided to make you night vision goggles?"

"Yup. I asked 'em why they couldn't make night vision in something smaller than what the MPs use or even SOLDIER. I suppose that struck a nerve or something, 'cause before I know it, I get called down there and they presented me with these."

He motioned to the goggles perched on his forehead and grinned.

"Or maybe they just really liked me!"

Rude could not help but smile just a little bit at his partner's enthusiasm and demeanor. He stole a quick glance at Reno and then thought about something that was off with the goggles.

"Why do you need night vision?"

"…Um…It's cool?"

Reno crossed his arms and tilted his head thoughtfully, then scratched his head.

"Huh, never thought about that. I guess I really don't need it, huh? Oh well, they're cool, and that is definitely what matters, yo."

He absentmindedly began to gently rub at the pale scar under his right eye. Rude looked down at him and noted that the two scars under his eyes were healing nicely and would probably not leave much of a mark. As he studied his partner's features, a small flicker of color flitted in his eyes as he smirked.

"Hey, I can see in the dark!"

"…"

Rude stared flatly at Reno who looked back at him questioningly. The redhead shrugged defensively.

"Hey, don't look at me like that! I just don't pay attention to it that often; not too many people ever bring it up. I dunno, I guess I take it for granted or somethin'? Whatever, yo. Point is, I can see in the dark and you can't, nya!"

At that last little noise he spit out of tongue petulantly causing a smirk to cross Rude's features. The small indication of emotion out of him seemed to make the redhead uneasy since he began staring defensively at the larger Turk.

"…Stop starin' at me! I'm tellin' ya, cut it out, yo!"

The bald Turk ignored the small stream of outbursts from his partner and turned his attention back to the president and Rufus. He heard his partner huff a little and settled down a bit. Deeming it okay to make eye contact again, Rude chanced a glance at the redhead again and start up the conversation up where it left off.

"…Why does mako do that?"

"It does a lot of jacked up crap. Which one ya talkin' about, seein' in the dark?"

A small nod confirmed Reno's guess. He put on another thoughtful expression as he ran his hand continually through his hair.

"Um, I think it has somethin' to do with the mako affectin' the retina where those, uh, cone and rod thingy's are."

Rude imagined that Reno would make for an entertaining science teacher. He would brilliantly teach the class about the "cone and rod thingy's."

"Anyways, those, uh…cones…no, rods, yeah, rods. They detect light photon junk stuff easily in the dark and whatnot. The mako makes 'em more sensitive and somehow or another, ya even have more of 'em than normal, so the eye's all extra sensitive. I think it even affects the cones too. Probably enhances those too, 'cause I don't really have a lapse in sight even with quick motion and I can still determine color somewhat."

Despite his less than eloquent speech, it made sense. Then again, Rude was having difficult remembering anatomy class and the eye. It all sounded vaguely familiar but it was not something he was willing to repeat anytime soon; not that he would tell anybody that. However, it seemed the redhead understood it perfectly fine but just told Rude what the most important things were without using any technical terms. It was very much Reno but made it somewhat difficult since he seemed to be under the assumption that Rude already knew the retinal structure.

"I think that's the gist of it. I got this really long explanation one time, but I don't really remember what they told me since it sounded like gibberish anyways."

He reached over and grabbing a chair, sat in it, or rather, slouched in it. He seemed to have calmed down a bit after their little conversation. If anything, now he looked like he was going to fall asleep any minute. After about a half hour of waiting, the last of the guests finally left indicating that it was about time for the remaining Turks to go home. Commander Veld gave some last minute directions to some SOLDIERs before falling behind the president along with Tseng.

As they passed by, Reno stood up and then trailed behind Rude who followed Rufus quietly. The small group of people made their way to the doors leading out and upon exiting; they were barraged with a flurry of flashes and yells. Rude thought that coming in was a major affair, but this blew their entrance out of the water. Apparently, word of the attack was already made known to the public and everybody was eager to know the gory details.

"Sheesh, good thing I ain't epileptic, yo."

Reno mumbled to himself as he pushed his way through the throng of people and took every opportunity to trip, knock over, or break cameras. They were all accidents though according to the redhead when addressed about it later. Rude shook his head at how reactive his partner was. Then again, he was tempted to throttle a few people but restrained himself admirably. It did not take long for the limousine to pull up.

"Well that was a fun party, can't wait for next year."

Tseng shot Reno a reproving glare telling him to shut up now as they took their seats within the vehicle. As the limousine pulled away, it was silent. The minute it was on the roads, the president dropped any sense of good nature and began yelling.

"What the hell was that?! I thought I hired you Turks to do your job! And what do you do? You let armed terrorists crash the party and make a mockery of me!"

President Shinra was red in the face as he continued to scream and yell and curse at the car's occupants. Rufus slowly scooted farther from his father most likely in an effort to preserve his hearing. Veld was sitting calmly as though nothing were wrong while Tseng was also sitting calmly except the younger Turk's jaw line was taught indicating his suppression of his emotions.

"How did they get in anyways?! Where the hell were you worthless people?! Weren't you supposed to keep these people away?!"

He pointed a stubby finger at Reno which did not seem like the best thing to do. The redhead did not seem very amused with the situation. Rude shifted uncomfortably next to him while Rufus smugly crossed his arms and watched with a mild, morbid curiosity. Reno opened his mouth and there was a collective intake of breath from the occupants.

"With all due respect _sir_, the terrorists were already inside before we got there. Therefore, you do not point the finger at the Turks when the fault lies with your fat ass excuse for a head of defense and his precious SOLDIERs. The Turks successfully apprehended the terrorists keeping damage to a minimal with no casualties, thus, doing our job, _sir_."

It was a different tone of voice than Rude was used to hearing from his partner. It held a steady and commanding finality to it that was a far cry from his usual relaxed attitude. Reno did not bat an eyelid as he stared straight on with the president. His demeanor indicated that he was not in any mood to humor noisy accusations, even from the president. The underlying challenging and accusatory tone was impossible to ignore. Veld remained calm though Rude could tell from his tense posture that he was prepared to take any action necessary to prevent any damage regardless of who it was.

"Shifting the blame Turk?"

The president growled at the redhead also in a dangerously foul mood. It seemed as though the two had now locked horns and were trying to get the advantage.

"No, I am merely stating that the blame _cannot_ be put on the Turks. Maybe we should have seen it happening, but we didn't. Regardless, we stopped them from causing any harm to you or your son and we have their leader alive and in custody…So, I'm just sayin'…ya don't got to shout at us, yo."

Reno relaxed and slouched in his seat. Rude glanced nervously from the redhead back to the president. He knew his partner was in a bad mood, but to stand up to the president was asking for death. He seriously began wondering if his partner had some kind of death wish to keep pushing the envelope like that. The president clenched his jaw together and stared pointedly at the Turk who seemed completely oblivious to his boss in every way.

"Are you telling me what to do Turk?"

Not so much as glancing at the president, Reno remained staring impassively out the window.

"Of course not. I'm just a lowly Turk and professional. It's just a professional suggestion."

All eyes turned to the president who maintained his stare but then looked away with a "hmph."

"I expect reasons for this attack and something be done about it."

"Sure thing _mi capitan_. There'll be plenty of results for ya."

The sudden change back into his usual carefree attitude seemed to satisfy the president enough as he remained silent. He was obviously still in a sour mood, but he was no longer yelling and saved the hearing of everybody in the vehicle. Rude let himself relax as did the others. Rufus shot the redhead an amused glance and was returned by a careless shrug. Tseng shook his head and Veld closed his eyes with a deep breath. The remaining trip home was in peaceful silence. Upon arriving, they crawled out of the vehicle and waited at attention for the president and his son.

"Veld, I expect results tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

The Turk saluted as the two Shinra's walked away. After the elevator doors closed, everybody relaxed. Tseng gently smacked Reno upside the head as he walked by.

"You're either genius or suicidal."

"Funny how they cross lines, yo."

Reno ran his hand through his hair and stretched tiredly as he walked towards the elevators.

"Though at the moment, I'm probably leanin' more towards the suicidal end."

Suddenly, a pink blur crashed into him and latched on to his jacket in a death grip.

"Suicide is not the way out, sir! Don't do anything stupid!"

Victoria than began crushing the redhead in a vice-like hug, seemingly restricting his breathing. Reno struggled in her deceptively powerful grip and did his best to calm her down even though his face was muffled in her chest and ample frills of her dress. Shanon walked over to her and patted her on the shoulder, coaxing her to let go.

"Reno will never stop doing stupid things, dear. As far as suicidal, he's not actually going to kill himself…right?"

"'Course not! I'm way too good lookin' and far too important to the Turks to die now. Besides, if I did die prematurely, it'd better be in a gloriously flashy manner preferably with a really big explosion taking out whoever I was fightin' with. Yup, that's the way I demand to go. Can't exactly achieve that if I just kill myself. Besides, all of ya would be thinkin' the same thing too if ya had to sit through that speech, yo...So I guess it's one of those exaggeration thingy's. No worries!"

He shrugged carelessly and smiled which seemed to be enough to calm Victoria down though she did begin to blush.

"Good…I suppose I should have heard the previous part of the conversations before jumping in…"

"Yeah, but that's okay. Good to know people care."

He flashed her a charming smile easing whatever other worries that had previously plagued her mind. Reno stood in his place smiling though rubbing his head unsure how to respond to the female Turk's sincerity. It was plain on his face that he had no idea how to respond to her. Then again, Victoria was very good at being genuine and letting it show. It seemed, to Rude anyways, a unique trait to posses in the Turks. That trait was also what made her so easy to get along with and others seemed to be drawn to her despite her shy personality and inferiority complex due to her brother. Victoria walked, with pure determination in her steps, to a chair and plopped down into it and sighed.

"Tonight was not fun at all…"

"You sound like Rneo."

Shanon chuckled and leaned against the wall next to Victoria. The redhead patted her on the shoulder.

"I dunno. Ya seemed to be enjoyin' yourself chasin' down our terrorist and thumpin' him like a bad game of _whack-a-mole_."

She smiled and giggled softly at the comparison. Then, she pulled the train of her dress up a bit and after fiddling with something, she pulled out her rod though it was in it's collapsed form. Victoria stroked it fondly.

"Well…I did kind of enjoy the adrenaline rush…Hee hee…I guess I've changed…I don't think I would have done that before…"

"Whatcha talkin' about? Ya didn't really change. The job's just bringin' out what ya always had in ya, darlin'. It's funny really. Being a Turk really brings out a person's personality, yo."

"You've always had personality, Reno."

The Turks were surprised when Tseng appeared next to them in the typical suit. He looked over at Victoria and Shanon.

"You two, go interrogate our new friend. I want to know who these people are and what they're planning. Shanon, show her how it's done."

"Sir!"

The two Turks stood up and saluted. As they were walking away, Tseng stopped them.

"Victoria, you might want to change."

The female Turk looked down at her gown and began blushing profusely. She pressed her hands to her flushed cheeks and made a deep bow.

"Right! Sorry, sir! I'll be right back!"

She sprinted for the elevators leaving the others to stare after her blankly. Rude shook his head.

"Still the same Victoria."

Reno chuckled and nodded towards Shanon.

"Have fun, yo. Hey, does that mean we can go now, boss person?"

Said boss person's left eye faintly twitched at the address but nodded once. Tseng stepped to the side without hesitation in order to avoid Reno's lanky arm as he stretched without much concern for the others around him.

"Good. I'm goin' to bed."

He slinked towards the elevator and pressed the up button. Rude saluted then joined his partner. The doors slid open and they stepped inside.

"I hope there isn't much to do tomorrow, yo…but since this happened…I doubt it…Damn it all…"

The redhead leaned against the wall and looked like he would fall asleep right then. Rude checked his watch. Even though the party was cut short, it was still after midnight. The doors finally slid open and the two Turks stepped out.

Rude pulled out his key and opened the door to the room and let Reno trudge through. Not even pausing to do anything, the redhead made a sluggish beeline for his room.

"Night."

Without waiting for a reply, he shut the door. Rude shook his head and shut the door to their apartment with a soft click. He made his way to his room and pulled off his jacket. Grabbing the hanger from the closet he meticulously hung up his suit and put on a shirt and some plain sweatpants. After brushing his teeth and laying out his PHS on the nightstand next to his bed, Rude stretched and got into bed. The minute his head hit the pillow, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

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**A/N:** How was it? I suppose I really shouldn't be posting things this late, but I had too. So due to the lateness and the fact that I am probably quite inept at the moment, I beg forgiveness for any mistakes. On a side note, the whole thing about the retina and all that is true. I wondered why there was that sparkle sometimes and so many fics have it that mako people can see well in the dark, I tried to think up a plausible reason. So I'm going to say that mako has mutagenic properties and affects the cones and rods thus affecting one's night vision. If your wondering why those things, I guess wikipedia would be a good place to look. I'm sure that it has some good info that better explains it than I can. Well, I'll call it a night and hope you all enjoyed reading it. Please let me know what kind of gift story I can do for all of you. Thanks so much!


	15. Name

**A/N:** Wow, it's been a really long time. Sorry about that, dear readers. I've been swamped with papers and generally just put it off. Hopefully everybody still remembers what's happened so far...I know I kind of forgot...Anyways, after cramming this chapter in during some free time at midnight, I am proud to say that I shouldn't take this long to update again. Everybody's reviews have been a great motivation. I re-read them all and now have a renewed energy for writing. I truly thank you all. So, without much else to say, please enjoy!

I don't own FF VII

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When the sun began to show through the blinds, Rude groggily rubbed his eyes and cursed for not shutting them further before going to bed. He checked the clock on his PHS and sighed. Not wanting to move, he just remained buried under the covers. Then, there was a faint ringing noise from the other side of his room's wall. Reno's PHS must have gone off but the sound eventually stopped. Rude began chuckling into his pillow when he heard the device go off again but sat up and stared at the wall curiously when some cursing accompanied the ringing, followed by the sound of something being thrown forcibly against a wall. He shook his head and grabbed his PHS a second before it started to ring.

"Rude."

"_Tell Reno not to ignore me._"

"...Yes sir."

"_Be in the commander's office as soon as possible...If you have to, drag his lazy ass out of bed._"

"Yes sir."

Tseng hung up leaving Rude to sigh as he wondered what the best way was to wake his partner. Had it been any other individual, he would simply knock or walk right in and wake them up. But no, this was Reno, somebody that could fly off the handle if somebody so much as looked at him the wrong way. Rude contemplated different options as he made his bed, got dressed, and started some coffee. He stopped in front of Reno's door with his hand hovering a short distance from the door. Taking a deep breath, Rude knocked and waited. He waited some more, but there was still no sound indicating that Reno heard anything. Slightly tilting his head to the side, Rude knocked harder and harder until he was short of busting the door down, which of course, was something that would not be approved by anybody. So, with a leap of faith, Rude opened the door and peered inside. He was not going to actually enter if he could help it since he did not know what would befall his person if he did step inside.

"Reno?"

There was no movement or sound, so he deemed it safe enough to enter the room and took a quick glance around the space taking note of the PHS lying in the corner. Surprisingly enough, despite the clutter, it was actually in a neat and orderly manner. Judging from his personality, Rude figured that his partner's room would reflect the person and be sloppy and haphazard. Then again, he recalled his partner mentioning his slight obsessive-compulsive tendencies and the room reflected it. Any objects that were out were neatly arranged and everything had a feeling of symmetry and balance. Everything appeared to have a set place and was always there. Rude mused over the clash between Reno the person and Reno the Turk.

"Reno."

He said his partner's name again but a little louder. Studying the bed, Rude noticed a single mound under the covers. He inched closer and tentatively poked the mound. There was a slight shift but still no definitive movement. Remembering their orders to hurry, Rude shook his head and threw off the covers.

Reno was lying on his stomach with his face buried in a pillow in a stubborn sleep. Rude was amused to find him still in his suit from last night. He tried shaking his shoulder and even tugging on his hair, but Reno refused to wake up or move. So, Rude grabbed the scruff of his partner's suit as well as his belt and lifted him clear off the bed. It actually was not that difficult considering their size differences and Reno being a stick. He then released his hold and let Reno fall unceremoniously to the ground.

"What the hell?!"

Reno shook his head and pushed himself off the floor.

"The commander summoned us."

He groaned and glared at Rude.

"And what was that for?"

"Tseng said to drag your lazy ass out of bed."

Rude left it at that and excused himself from his partner's room. There was the sound of some swearing echoing across the apartment and it amused Rude as he poured himself a cup of coffee. It did not take long fo rthe door to open and Reno stepped out grumbling. Rude handed him a mug of coffee as he passed by.

"Thanks...Haven't they ever heard of sleep?...Hope they trip and fall or somethin'..."

He sounded so bitter with life. Rude just nodded his head and told him about Tseng and the commander.

"Huh. I wonder if that means they got somethin' out of that guy?"

Rude shrugged and finished off his coffee. Reno followed suit and gulped the rest of his down. He ran his hand through is hair to straighten or to mess it up more and scowled.

"Fine, fine...Let's go."

They walked silently and fairly quickly since Rude knew they should have been at the commander's office sooner. He took advantage of his size and took purposely large strides which forced his partner to walk even faster to be able to keep up.

"So, you got him out of bed I see."

Tseng smirked ever so faintly at Reno who shot him a venomous glare. The commander sat at his desk with one of his hands resting on a small folder.

"Our guest last night spoke quite readily and offered us some useful information."

Reno seemed to perk up and looked excitedly at Veld.

"And, and?"

"We now know of a meeting that is going to be taking place, its location, and that Nernst will be there."

"So we get to kill 'em?"

The glistening hope in Reno's blue eyes was like a child at a candy store except this candy could shot back, bleed, and be killed. All factors that seemed to appeal greatly to his more violent side.

"Not quite."

"Why not?!"

Reno whined at the commander who pretended to not hear any sounds from his subordinate as he did not bat an eyelid or miss a beat. Tseng handed each of them a folder and paused only to smack Reno upside the head.

"I want you two along with Shanon and Victoria to check this place out. You'll be given a small unit of MP's to take with you."

Rude took the folder handed to him and flipped through a few pages. His partner resorted to using the folder as a fan. Veld eyed Reno suspiciously as he leaned forward.

"Keep some alive Reno. Preferrably the leader."

"Sir."

"Dismissed."

They saluted each in their own fashion and moved to leave the office when the commander pointed at Rude.

"You, stay. Reno, leave. Far away and no eavesdropping."

"I don't eavesdrop. I just happen to overhear things."

Rude stood still as Reno defended himself and his questionable honor. Tseng marched up to him and grabbed him by the back of his collar.

"Of course you do. Commander."

Veld gave a simple nod as Tseng more or less dragged Reno out of the office and down the hall. They waited a few moments in silence as the sound of footsteps and swearing faded away.

"Have a seat."

There was always something going on when a boss tells somebody to have a seat. Rude sat stoically in the chair and patiently waited for the commander to speak.

"You and Reno seem to be getting along quite well. I'm impressed. So, how is it?"

"...Fine?"

Rude was actually not sure what to answer with. Everybody seemed overly concerned, border-line obsessive, over his partnership with Reno. He could find nothing spectacular with the arrangement other than that he probably was one of the few people patient enough to deal with somebody as eccentric as Reno.

"What do you mean specifically?"

Veld smiled a little and nodded his head in approval.

"How are you two functioning as a pair? Reno can be...difficult sometimes."

"It's fine. He always does his job."

"Yes...Yes, he does."

An unreadable expression graced the commander's face. Rude could not tell whether it was one of amusement or annoyance. With Reno, those seemed to be the two most common feelings associated with him. However, the expression quickly turned solemn.

"But tell me, what do you think about that? Many people, Turk or not, find such dedication to this kind of job as less than admirable."

Veld reclined in his chair as if expecting a long wait for an answer. Rude was glad that he did because honestly, he had no real way of answering that. First and foremost, he just was not the type of person to expand on a given subject for long periods of time. He valued getting the point across in as few words as possible. That kind of question was difficult for him to quickly put into a succinct wording. Second, he was eerie of answering a question with an obvious deeper meaning but not knowing what that deeper, underlying question really was. To put it simply, it was awkward.

"I realize asking you to explain things like this is not something you do often, but I like to...I need to be able to keep track of Reno and those associated with him."

If there was a single thing that Rude could really admire about Veld, it was his ability to understand the situation and be frank about it. Having a better idea of what was being asked of him, Rude felt more comfortable with giving a response.

"Reno is...idiosyncratic in more than one way. I can't claim to understand how his mind works at all except that he has a temper. He is usually friendly, but always conscientious of those around him especially on the field. That is, unless you're the enemy or target."

A soft chuckle escaped the commander as he idly twirled a pen.

"Yes, may there be mercy on those on his bad side. I'm glad to hear that there are other observation other than the fact that he's annoying. You're one of the first people to notice Reno's other qualities."

There was a pregnant pause as Rude pursed his lips and stared intently at his superior. Veld calmly matched his gaze and leaned forward expectantly. Rude silently thanked the commander's insight as it made it easier for him to ask his own question.

"Permission to speak freely?"

"Of course."

"Why question _me_ about this? I'd assume other Turks would know better than me. There's something else."

The two Turks remained silent but maintained steady eye contact. Neither one so much as twitched. Rude was even more impressed with Veld and his ability to be a match in silent staring.

"You don't like talking much, do you?"

The heavy atmosphere was dispelled as Rude was somewhat surprised at the sudden response from Commander Veld. He quickly gathered his wits and nodded his head once. This seemed to amuse him as he relaxed and leaned back into his chair again with a small smirk.

"I suppose this is becoming frustrating for you. You must be wondering why I keep pestering you about Reno when there really isn't that much there to pester about?"

A simple nod of the head from Rude was acknowledgment of the truth of that observation.

"Reno...Usually he's fine. As you already noted, there isn't anything wrong with him except his sometimes unpredictable behavior."

Here, Veld paused and stared up at the ceiling as if looking for some sort of divine answer. Even as he resumed speaking, he continued to watch the ceiling.

"Not that unpredictability is bad per se, but because the way Reno was raised and his incomprehensible mood swings, it can be hard not only on whoever his partner is, but Reno as well. He's one of the best, but I also need my best to be able to function on some level of restraint and normalcy for my sake and many others."

Rude slowly nodded his head, filing the last part away to be asked later, but instead of standing up and making his exit, he remained seated. One part was becoming far clearer, but there was still that little something that was artfully dodged.

"Why keep a close watch on me?"

He had originally thought that it was common to keep track of all the new recruits since they were all involved in a highly specialized area of work, but recently, he had the growing feeling that it was taken to greater lengths whenever it involved him and Reno. He did not appreciate the extra attention especially since he had no idea why.

"To make sure history does not repeat itself like it has already been doing. I'm not clear if it is the person or Reno's actions and personality that affects him to act a certain a way. My utmost priority is to make sure the Turks do the jobs required of them without any problems. I want to make sure that you aren't going to do something to upset the system because your partner drove you insane in some way. Keeping track of what you do and how you act also lets me follow Reno. To many things have already gone wrong and Reno is always somehow connected to them. If there is some problem between the two of you, then I want to know about it so I can take the necessary measures to separate you before it leads to something drastic."

That was not one of the most encouraging things Rude had ever heard, but then again, it was not like he was expecting a positive reason. At the same time, he wondered about the possibilities of what would happen to him or Reno should Veld find some reason for concern. Then again, it was best to not let his mind wander too far. It was not healthy in his line of work.

"You're sharp. Keep on on your toes and keep up the good work in reigning Reno in. He does seem to genuinely like you and believe you me, that is something to be relieved about. You should try asking Reno himself though. Maybe you can get a better idea that way. Anything else?"

Rude shook his head and stood up.

"Good. You're dismissed. Oh, and tell Tseng to bring the files I gave him last night to my office."

"Sir."

He saluted and quickly exited the office into the open hallway. After shutting the door, Rude paused and ran a hand over his head in thought. While he did not mind having responsibility, the fact that he was pretty much named the official babysitter and social study subject was almost too much. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly and began walking down the halls in search of his partner. Knowing the reason behind actions relieves the anxiety and tension in one way, but builds up in a whole new way. However, it was suddenly forgotten when his troubled thoughts were rudely interrupted by loud swearing. The voice was distinctly crude and carried a unique sound.

"That is total bullshit, yo!"

Some personnel looked curiously at the door leading to the lounge and recreation room as they passed by and heard the racket. Rude curiously opened the door and walked in.

"It totally did not touch the table!!!"

Reno was currently waving his arms around furiously as he continued to curse and yell at Tseng who stood opposite of him. Between the two was a regular table tennis set. Crossing his arms, Rude waited to see how this little temperamental escapade would turn out.

"Yes Reno, it did hit the table, right on the corner."

"Did not."

Tseng just twirled his paddle deftly in his hand while he let Reno argue with him or rather, himself since the field commander was not even talking half of the time. It seemed that he was more than used to this kind of argument and appeared to invest little to no attention to it.

"Rude, you can take over from here."

"Hey, don't ignore me!!!"

"Sir, Commander Veld requested the files from last night."

"Don't you go ignoring me too!"

"Of course. Thank you Rude."

"I hate you both, yo..."

"Sir."

Tseng passed the paddle to Rude who in turn looked over at Reno who was glaring with crossed arms. He shook his head at the childish behavior and set the paddle on the table.

"Sorry. Never been good at ping pong."

"Really? Why? Nevermind, let's just do something else."

The other paddle was carelessly tossed onto the table and Gaia only knows where the actual ball was located at that moment, not that Reno seemed to care or anything.

"So what did the good 'ole commander have to say?"

He looked up curiously up at Rude who returned it with a blank stare. It tended to be the standard expression he resorted to when he was thinking of what to say. It was hard to feel out the moment when it involved Reno. He was not sure it was the best time to bring any of it up. There still seemed to be some pent up anxiety and or anger within the redhead.

"What, was it like, confidential or somethin'?"

"No."

"...So you're just not going to tell me then?"

"Yes. For now."

"Why?"

"I don't feel like it."

Rude continued to walk on as he led Reno into the training room. Having a little sparring match would be good for both of them. Rude needed to find a release for his stress and Reno apparently needed to unwind a little bit. Regardless of whether he talked with him or not, he was not particularly in the mood to deal with somebody who was already angered over a simple game of table tennis. There was no way for him to decide how Reno would act with any type of question at the moment. Besides, it was not exactly necessary at the moment and he would just play it by ear.

Speaking of playing things by ear, Rude realized that he had been drowning out his partner the whole walk over. For some reason, Rude never really did listen to what Reno had to say as about eighty-five percent of it was so utterly pointless, there was no reason to. It had always been something Rude was good at. He could block out any unnecessary noises and pick up only on what mattered. At the moment, what mattered was that he heard the words, "drumstick," "cotton swab," and "Heideigger."

"Wait...What?"

Reno looked up questioningly but it was quickly replaced by a lop-sided grin.

"Good to know people care about what I say, yo. Ah well, maybe its better that ya didn't hear."

He patted Rude on the shoulder as he stepped into the training room. It was empty save for a couple of Turks lingering in the back.

"Rude?...Reno?"

"...Old guy!"

Reno pointed at one of the two Turks whose shoulders visibly sagged at the word, "old." He walked over to where they were standing. Rude was actually surprised. He had not seen Scott for a long time.

"I'm not that old..."

A slight tilt of the head and a thoughtful expression graced Reno's features.

"Yes, yes you are old and wait...You're...don't tell me..."

"Uhh..."

Reno began to study Scott who began to fidget from the scrutinizing stare. Rude looked down at his partner with some amusement.

"Starts with an 's'...Smith?...No...Sam?...Not that...Steve!...Oh wait, that's you..."

He pointed to the other Turk standing next to Scott who had a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"While we ignore him...The names Scott. You're Rude, I take it?"

"Yeah, he's rude alright. Guy barges into my room and literally tosses me out of bed!"

Rude just shook his head at the overused pun on his name and shook Steve's outstretched hand. Steve was a fairly short individual. While compared to himself, most people were relatively short, but in comparison to the others, Rude decided that he was on the shorter end of the height spectrum. He stood several inches shorter than Reno, but judging from how he moved and carried himself, he definitely had a bulkier build that was most likely muscle strength. Under other conditions, this might have made him an intimidating individual. However, it was difficult for Rude to consider him intimidating by the way Steve continually kept blowing a stray chunk of sandy-blond hair that fell over his nose.

"Get a haircut already."

Steve glared at Reno as he pushed it back. It was more amusing when the pieces of hair fell right back where they started.

"It'll never grow out if I keep cutting it. Speaking of cutting hair, what happened to yours?"

"Being honest, I didn't think things through...but it was time for a change I guess."

Steve shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"Whatever you say you little psychopath."

Reno never ceased in his examination of Scott but managed to flip Steve off absentmindedly.

"You of all people shouldn't be calling others little."

"You're right. My apologies. Scrawny psychopath."

"Bite me."

"I'd probably catch something. And I can't have that with all the pretty ladies."

He winked at Rude who bit back a sigh and sarcastic comment. But as he anticipated, his partner was not about to keep silent.

"Ya couldn't catch a disease let alone a women, yo."

"What would you know about women?"

"Plenty. The best was this girl named Scott!"

Steve's eye twitched ever so slightly as Reno made an abrupt halt mid-sentence and transitioned to something else. Additionally, all but Reno seemed to realize how wrong that sounded. Scott dropped his head in shame and scratched the back of his neck. Reno then pointed straight at him.

"Your name is Scott!"

All three Turks stared silently at Reno who looked like he just got a plate of candy.

"Err...Yeah, good job...Glad you remembered..."

"Me too!"

Scott just bit his lower lip at a complete loss of words. There was nothing he could possibly say that could help the situation. So, he opted for the smoothly-switch-the-topic maneuver.

"So, I heard things were pretty rough around here recently."

Rude just nodded his head.

"Right. Not very talkative."

"Yeah, things have been pretty crazy 'round here...Wait, come to think of it, where the hell have ya two been anyways?"

Reno casually walked over to a bench press and plopped down.

"We were stationed in Junon. Scott and I got placed there for whatever reason."

Steve rolled his eyes in an annoyed manner. It seemed he did not appreciate being left in the dark. Then again, there were not too many people who enjoyed doing things for no reason at all. Scott just slowly nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah...I heard about Rusty. I can't believe he killed himself like that. He was always so excited about this job...And then I hear Todd up and ran off...How's his sister doing?"

Reno began impatiently shaking his leg while fingering a chunk of red hair.

"Pfft. Better than either Todd or Rusty, yo. She's got guts...in a really weird way..."

Looking over at his partner, Rude noticed the growing agitation and figured wondered what was the source. Scott and Steve seemed to not notice this as Scott paternally nodded his head.

"I'm glad to hear it. I can't believe all this...I mean, what's going on now? Nothing makes sense and what about those guys who attacked the president's ball?"

"Who knows, who cares, we don't, we will. Until then, we can play catch up later. Now, I want a fight."

They all stared curiously at Reno who was now standing and lightly bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. Steve smiled in amusement and nodded his head.

"Alrighty then. We'll let these two catch up while I wipe the floor with your face."

Steve threw off his jacket and loosened his tie. Rude was surprised to find that Reno actually bothered to take off his jacket and lay it nicely on the bench. It was also pointless in his mind since the jacket was already beyond repair from an iron. However, his attention turned back to the two Turks about to face off.

"Ready?"

"Whenever you are, yo."

The minute the words left Reno's mouth, he was immediately on the offensive. Steve had to keep stepping back and to the side in order to dodge the flurry of kicks and punches.

"It's still incredible watching him fight. He doesn't look like he could really."

Rude nodded his head in agreement. He and Scott both watched the fight intently and enjoyed the show.

"So, why do you think Todd would do that?"

"Victoria."

Both never stopped watching the blows exchanged as they talked. Reno was smirking as he charged again. Steve widened his stance and kept his arms up.

"What? How's that got anything to do with him leaving?"

When Reno lashed out, the other caught his arm, and using the momentum, flipped Reno.

"The initiation mission."

With incredible flexibility, Reno managed to get his feet under him. The moment Steve's grip loosened from surprise, he pushed on his feet, used the arm that was still gripping him as leverage, and flipped back so that he was now holding Steve by the arm.

"Oh...Did he-"

"No. Victoria did."

The swift kick to Steve's head and an elbow to Reno's gut forced the two apart to re-asses the situation. They stood panting and facing each other with smirks plastered on their faces.

"Wait, what? How does that even work? Victoria is the one who should have left."

"Brotherly love, concern...something like that."

Scott finally tore his eyes away from the fight to stare questioningly at Rude.

"Something like that?"

Rude sighed. This was leading into a long conversation and that was not something he could easily do. But regardless of whether or not he enjoyed talking, there was just no real point. He was only able to guess the reason or reasons behind Todd's actions. There was too much going on that he knew too little about.

"It's complicated."

"Then why bother thinkin' about it?"

Reno had Steve in a sleeper hold, twitching every now and again as the other Turk attempted to pry himself loose. He was grinning at Rude and Scott but suddenly yelped when Steve brought his heel down on his foot. The brief slack allowed Steve to slip away.

"I don't see the need...umph...to think hard...about...aargh, let go!...if it's so...complicated!"

Steve was now sitting on top of Reno who was flailing about like a fish out of water. His attempts to get the heavier Turk off of him were in vain. Scott held on tight to his arms and had his weight pressed against his spine, restricting his movement.

"I win."

"Says you, yo. It ain't over...till it's over!"

Rude was curious as to how Reno could do anything. By all rights, he was in one of the worst positions possible and pure strength was not exactly on his side. However, he did not put it past Reno to come up with something nobody would expect and sure enough, he did not disappoint.

They were all shocked at the scene, though Steve was apparently shocked in the literal manner. Reno quickly bucked him off and rolled away into a standing position.

"I didn't hear him."

Scott studied Reno a moment before looking to Rude for an answer.

"He didn't say anything."

Reno was trying to catch his breath while he dusted off his suit. Steve on the other hand, was attempting to get his hair under control. It stuck straight up and in every direction, much like he suffered a massive static shock.

"Cheater."

"All's fair short stuff. 'Sides, I was playin' your game; no weapons."

Steve snorted as he continued to pat down his hair and failing. He grumbled incoherently as he grabbed his jacket from the ground. Reno sat down on the floor and let out a deep breath.

"How'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

Reno tilted his head curiously. Scott pointed to his partner who managed to get most of his hair in order.

"How did you cast something without saying anything?"

"Huh? Oh, I didn't really cast anything. I'm still attached to my EMR which generates its own electric current and I also got a lightening materia equipped. While Lard Butt over there was usin' me as his chair, I managed to turn it on and the resultin' surge of electricity hit the materia causin' its innate electric power to amplify the current and then ya get a wave of electric discharge. Well, that's what Tseng said, or something like that. I just did it by accident one time and now use it every so often."

Rude stared dumbfounded at his partner. Between the actual technique and the explanation, he was impressed. Steve just snorted and crossed his arms.

"You're lucky lightening is your affinity."

"Whatever, yo. Just be glad the current hit me first...Or you'd be one hell of a fried potato."

"I still say I won."

"Yeah, well, you suck, yo. I beat ya."

Reno sighed and then stood up. His hair was also sticking up though it was not so noticeable with him since his hair was always a mess. Rude studied his partner and noticed that he was slightly unsteady on his feet. He kept jumping in place and then shaking his legs. So that was how it worked. Reno was right when he mentioned the electric current going through him. His affinity kept him from any harm, but it did not stop the effects it has on muscles.

Steve twitched involuntarily before motioning for Scott to try his hand at it. Scott shook his head while Steve rummaged through his jacket pockets.

"Mm, no. I think I'll pass."

"Good. We just got a call from the Commander. Let's go. Nice meeting you Rude!"

Steve quickly slid on his jacket and was out the door followed closely by Scott.

"See you guys around."

Rude just nodded his head once while his partner happily waved. After they left and the door shut, Reno turned his attention towards Rude and smirked.

"So, shall we?"

Rude's answer was taking off his jacket and removing his tie. He pulled a pair of black gloves from on of his pockets and slid them on. Briefly pointing to the EMR hanging off of Reno's belt, Rude cracked his knuckles expectantly.

"Use it...to even out the playing field."

His partner grinned and pulled the weapon from his belt. Twirling it around with practiced grace, Reno rested it on his shoulder where he lightly tapped it.

"I won't turn it on though...Can't have ya one the ground twitchin'."

"Like you'd be able to hit me."

Rude curled his fingers into fists and relished in the feeling of the leather going taught against his skin. Placing his fists in front of him, Rude made sure that every possible opening was covered. Reno nodded his head once and let one of his arms hang limply by his side while keeping the EMR on his shoulder. Rude studied the slouched form of his partner and briefly tried to figure out what type of fighting style Reno was using or attempting to use.

"Heh, don't think too hard. This is how I roll, yo. So, are ya gona come and get me, or do I have the honors?"

Deciding on a different tactic than usual, Rude suddenly lunged forward. The brief moment of surprise from Reno let him know he had the advantage. Without losing anytime, he lashed out with a swift punch.

Reno had to hop backwards to avoid the attack and continually hopped around in an attempt to get around Rude's large fists. Knowing that as long as he did not allow Reno to go on the offensive, he was guaranteed a longer match. Therefore, Rude wasted no time in his attacks and was not about to let up.

"'Nuff of this...My turn, yo."

As Rude went to punch again, Reno grabbed his wrist and pulled while spinning around backwards. It let him gain enough momentum to slam an elbow into Rude's back with enough force to make him lose balance. While Rude adjusted his position to prevent falling on his face, Reno took the time to attack.

Rude whipped around and cursed to himself as he was suddenly pushed into the defensive. It was a bit more difficult this time around. Reno was no longer confined by half of his depth perception.

They took up most of the room as they continually found ways to get an advantage over the other. Time was lost on them as they kept at it until they were both panting and generally too tired to keep going.

"Heh, I guess your pretty good, yo...Ah, feels nice being able to work with both eyes."

Reno jerked his head to the side creating a loud popping noise to come from his heck. He grabbed his jacket and tossed it over his shoulder. Waltzing over towards the door, he glanced over his hsoulder.

"Oh right. I still wanna know what the commander told ya."

He nodded his head and kept silent. Reno just smirked and walked out of the training room. Rude just sighed as he grabbed his own jacket and headed out as well.

When he walked down the hall towards his room, the door leading in was already open. Stepping inside, he heard the shower going in Reno's room. Cracking his joints, Rude also thought a hot shower would be good.

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**A/N:** How was it? There's a lot of dialogue in it so it seems pretty short, doesn't it? Ah well, I'm just glad to get another chapter out. And I am also proud that I remembered Scott. I forgot about him. I don't think anybody remembers that guy...Anyways, hooray for another OC gun fodder. I think I live to create them only to then kill them.Once again, I'm not clever when it comes to names. So if he's not memorable, he won't be around for much longer. That is also the foreshadow of events to come that I leave you with. I truly hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks so much for reading!!!


	16. Wiretap

**A/N:** Huzzah, I finished finals and finally got enough motivation to get near a computer again to write. I meant to write sooner, but I simply didn't feel like doing much of anything after finals. So many papers...bleh...Anyways, I re-read all the reviews the other day and was motivated. Thus, this chapter was spawned from my imagination as I apparently forgot to write this chapter and the next few in my original copy. Oh well, it's a start into writing again. Thanks again to all those who read and to those who review. It's wonderful. Anyways, enough chit-chat, on with the show.

Don't own FFVII. Warnings include language.

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When Rude finished his shower and got dressed, he walked out of his room and smelled something cooking. In the kitchen, Reno was scratching his head and staring questioningly at the large frying pan on the stove. His hair was still wet and at least until it dried, it hung limply on his head.

"That's called a frying pan."

Reno seemed to snap out of his questioning reverie and frowned at Rude.

"No duh. Sheesh, I know that! I'm just tryin' to think about what I want to make."

He huffed and crossed his arms before turning his attention back to the pan on the stove. In it, there was some meat chopped up into pieces slowly sizzling from the heat.

"Hey, make yourself useful and get somethin' out of the fridge, will ya?"

Rude walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door.

"What do you want?"

"I dunno, somethin'."

He stared at his partner's back a moment and all he got in response was a shrug of the shoulders. Shaking his head, Rude studied the contents of the refrigerator. It contained alcohol, of course, and some bottles of water and cans of soda. Other than various beverages, it was filled with old take-out boxes. He determined them to be old considering that he had pretty much been around Reno since he first got here and never once did they ever do take-out. Therefore, Rude estimated that they had to have been there before his time as a Turk, and that was about a month ago.

"How old are these?"

Rude held up one of the take-out boxes for Reno to see. His partner studied it a moment and slowly walked over to it. He took it from Rude's hand and sniffed it.

"I think…probably now a couple months old."

Once again he shrugged carelessly and handed it back to Rude who just stared at his partner's back.

"Okay, yeah, should have probably taken those out, huh? I always intend to…I just kinda forget."

Rude shook his head and began pulling out all the boxes and setting them on the counter. As he pulled one box after another, he began to wonder if it ever ended. When the boxes came from the back of the refrigerator, they were squishy or hard as a rock. He took one of the latter and pounded it lightly against the counter. It made a series of deep thuds and Rude thought he should stop before he damaged the countertops.

After clearing away the clutter, he was finally able to assess the contents of the refrigerator. There really was not a whole lot aside from the beverages. All he was able to collect was a bottle of unlabeled sauce, half a clove of garlic, or what he hoped was garlic, and an onion that could be however old. He placed the few items near Reno who paused to study each one.

"So that's where that sucker went…"

Rude looked up as he was sliding the old boxes into a garbage bag and saw Reno staring surprised at the onion. He shot him an unsure look causing his partner to chuckle.

"Don't worry, it's not that old. I take things from Tseng sometimes. I, uh, forgot about it…like I apparently forgot I had garlic…huh…doesn't smell bad…what the heck, it's goin' in."

He turned his back to Rude again and opened a nearby drawer to pull out a knife. Rude just stared a moment before stuffing the old boxes into the garbage. After tying off the end, he dragged the bag out into the hallway and stuffed it down the garbage chute that lead to the lower waste levels.

When he entered the apartment again, he saw Reno staring at the bottle of sauce, then at the frying pan, and finally back at the bottle again. He seemed to be mentally debating something before he just dumped some of the contents into it. The addition of the sauce caused a loud sizzle that appeared to amuse Reno as he then added a little more.

"That should do it for that…I think…"

Reno continued to mumble to himself as he absentmindedly stirred the contents of the pan around and sniffed it.

"Doesn't smell toxic yet…Hey, grab me that bottle of wine in the fridge."

Rude obliged him and handed him a bottle of some sort of white wine that was only partially full. He wondered where all the labels went on all the bottles in the fridge. It made it difficult to know exactly what was what. Either way, he handed the bottle over to Reno who pulled the cork out with his teeth and then dumped some of it into the pan. He had to lean back a little when there was a small burst of fire. Satisfied with his little light show, Reno went back to stirring the contents of the pan while taking a large swig from the bottle of wine. It didn't take long for him to finish it off. When he did, he turned off the stove and placed the frying pan on the cooler side of the stove.

"'Kay, I think this should be good. I'm pretty sure ya can't get sick from it either."

Rude was fairly certain that that particular phrase was never a good thing to hear from the chef. He reluctantly sat down as Reno slid a plate of the food over to him and then took some for himself. Picking up the fork he was tossed, Rude tentatively poked the meat. At first glance, it seemed safe enough and upon closer inspection, he could find nothing wrong with it. He chanced a glance over at his partner who was also studying his food and sniffing it.

"On the count of three…"

Rude nodded his head. Reno started the count.

"One…two…three."

At three, they both shoved the food into their mouths and waited. It was silent for a few moments as both slowly chewed the food and studied the flavor. After swallowing, Rude was actually impressed that it was edible. Reno too seemed surprised as he stared incredulously at his plate.

"Hey, that ain't half bad! Go figure."

With that, he began shoving the rest of the food into his mouth happily. Rude took it at a much more slower pace and far steadier. As they ate in relative silence, Reno stopped right before another forkful of food and looked at Rude.

"So, what was it that the commander talked to ya about? I told ya I wanted to know."

Rude also paused mid-bite and sighed just a little.

"Nothing much."

"Uh-huh. Not good enough. Let me guess, was it about me?"

Reno stared intently at Rude who kept a stoic face and set down his fork.

"Yes."

His partner remained silent and stared blankly at him. Rude was hoping that this would not make Reno angry or throw a tantrum. There was no way for him to tell if it was ever a good time to talk about anything with Reno. It was not until he was forced to take a breath that he realized he had been holding it.

"I see…Holy crap, what is it with them and me?! I swear, I didn't do a freakin' thing wrong! But still, they're always on my case. Alright, spill it, what did they want to know about me and what questions were they askin'?"

Rude silently sighed in relief. It seemed that Reno was perfectly fine with the conversation. He picked up his fork again and stabbed a piece of meat.

"How you were doing."

He stuffed the food into his mouth and chewed. Reno looked incredulously at him and pointed at him with his fork.

"You're kiddin' right? What, they don't believe me when I say 'fine' when I see them in the hallway and they ask me that? I mean seriously, we don't even ask that question 'cause we care or somethin'. I don't buy it, what are they really tryin' to find out? I ain't gonna get all emo on them or somethin'…as much as that crack-head they call a psychiatrist wants me to be…"

Reno trailed off and grumbled under his breath, most likely cursing out the company psychiatrist. Rude lightly shook his head and continued eating. It would appear that neither he, nor the superiors had too much to fear at the moment. Reno was more than in charge of his mental state.

"Oh, which reminds me, how come when ya breed two different color chocobos together ya get a third colored chocobo? I've been meanin' to ask somebody this for a while now, but there really aren't any geneticists around…well, there's probably somebody who would know, but he personally scares the shit out of me, so that's out of the question."

Well, he was somewhat in charge of his mental state. Rude was not sure how talking about company observation on employees led to chocobo breeding, but he just let it slide. Clearly, there was a relationship and who was he to question it.

"I don't know."

"Ya don't huh?…Oh yeah, speaking of that, have the uppers been botherin' you about me and how you're doin' and all that?"

"Your connections astound me and yes, they have."

"So whaddya say?"

Rude sat thoughtfully a moment before shrugging.

"While good at the job…you're loud, brash, annoying-"

He paused when a piece of onion was flung at his face. Rude calmly plucked the vegetable off his forehead and wiped the spot with his napkin.

"…Immature-"

He blinked when he felt another soggy onion bit slap against his face. Just as calmly as before, he pulled off the onion and wiped the spot with his napkin.

"Thanks for the food."

Rude stood up and carried his plate to the sink. He heard his partner snort and grumble.

"Bastard…"

However, Reno was smirking and also picked up his plate. He dropped it unceremoniously and began rummaging around in the cupboards while Rude rolled his sleeves and rinsed the dishes. Reno finally found what he was looking for and began dumping the leftover food into a plastic container.

"How long is that going to be in the fridge?"

Reno shot him an evil glare before snapping on the lid.

"It isn't goin' in the fridge, my bald friend. It's goin' to Tseng. I figured I kind of owe him somethin' since he was askin' about his onion the other day and I told him I didn't know where it was. Now, he can have it back…sort of."

Rude paused in the middle of dishwashing to think about that. His eyebrows furrowed together in concentration. Reno saw his expression and nodded his head.

"Yup, I know. What's the guy doin' with an onion in the first place? I found it in his desk and decided to take it. Not sure what it was doin' there, but whatever, I took it."

"Well now it just all makes sense…"

He shook his head as he went back to tending to the dishes. After tidying up a bit, Reno grabbed the leftovers and his jacket.

"I'm gonna give this to Tseng now. Wanna come?"

Rude nodded his head once and followed him out of the door. They walked down the hallway towards the offices. When they arrived at Tseng's office door, Reno did not even knock. He just opened the door and walked right in. Rude had to keep himself from slapping his forehead at the blatant disregard for privacy.

The sound of the door slamming open caused Tseng to look up from his current work and frown at Reno who simply ignored the less than pleased glare.

"Yo Tseng. Here's your onion back. Well, now it's a cooked onion…which is totally better than a raw one that ya keep in your desk. I'm not judgin' you or somethin', I'm just syain' it's kind of freaky."

Tseng took five deep, deliberate breaths before answering.

"First, you went through a superior officer's desk without permission. Second, you take things out of said superior's desk without permission. Third, you lie to the superior about not knowing anything about it. Fourth, what the hell is that gelatinous blob?"

He stared pointedly at the container of food. As it cooled, the sauce apparently became thicker and now the food did not look like food so much as some wild monster one would find in the outskirts of Midgar or within the sewers. Reno shook it a little and sure enough, it swayed back and forth much like gelatin does.

"Huh, things ya don't expect to see…Anyways, it's for you."

Reno dropped the container on top of the stack of papers Tseng had been filling out. Tseng cautiously picked it up and studied it.

"Is it for biochemical warfare? A weapon perhaps?"

"No sir. That would be the leftover food in the refrigerator, sir."

Reno growled at Rude who kept his usual cool as Tseng smirked ever so slightly. He set the container back down on his desk and popped open the lid.

"Did you eat this already, Rude?"

"Yes, sir."

"No tremors, fever, vomiting?"

"No, sir…not yet anyways, sir."

Reno huffed, crossed his arms, and slid down in the chair he was sitting in so as to pout. Tseng sniffed the food and then opened a drawer. He looked around a few moments before Reno smirked.

"Second drawer, between the extra paper and files."

Tseng paused to glare at Reno in a threatening manner while Reno smirked all the more. He finally opened the said drawer and reluctantly pulled out a set of chopsticks. Reno grinned triumphantly.

"We need to talk about this…"

"And we need to talk about why you keep half of the things you have in your desk…sir."

They thus began a staring match both with expressions not willing to give in. Rude stared at both of them in curiosity. All three remained that way until there was a light knock on the door and Commander Veld stepped into the room.

"What are you doing in here?"

He looked to each Turk in turn expectantly. Rude saluted, Tseng broke eye contact and nodded his head while Reno tilted his head back on the chair and smirked.

"Hiya Commander! I was just tellin' Tseng that he should try out what I cooked."

"Oh, is that all?"

"Yes, that's all it is, sir."

Tseng spoke calmly and deliberately as he handed the food container over to him.

"I offer this to you with the utmost humility and respect."

Veld studied the container a moment and then cleared his throat.

"No, no. It was offered to you. It would be rude of me to accept it."

Reno crossed his arms and jumped up.

"Hey, hey, hey! It ain't that bad! It just looks funny! Fine, don't eat it, see if I care!"

At that, Reno crossed his arms and glowered at the potted plant in the corner. The three other Turks just ignored him for the moment and resumed proper business.

"Here are some of the files on the suspected traitors and moles within the company. I want you to look them over."

Veld handed a stack of folders to Tseng who took them and began to leaf through them. As he did that, Veld turned to Rude.

"Since I've found you two, go to the rec. room. Victoria and Shannon are already there and we can get this little meeting over with now…Reno, that plant did nothing wrong, so stop staring at it so much…Reno, are you even listening to me?"

Rude studied his partner who was still staring at the potted plant only now he seemed to be studying it. The commander frowned a bit and walked over to him. When he was about to place his hand on Reno's shoulder, he whipped around quickly forcing Veld to lean back to avoid being forcefully smacked by Reno's limbs.

"What on Gaia are you doing?"

He got no response from Reno who just stared at him a moment before shifting his gaze towards Tseng. After making eye contact with him for a short while, he turned his attention back to the plant and motioned for everybody to be silent with a wave of his hand. Reno leaned forward to get closer to the plant and then slowly began tugging at the outer leaves.

Tseng shot Rude a questioning look to which he could only reply with a silent shrug. All three Turks were startled when Reno suddenly grabbed the plant and flung it to its side. With the leaves littering the floor and a pretty pile of dirt and mulch, Reno squatted down next to it and began tugging at the branches. Tseng got up from his seat and walked over to Reno.

"Reno, do you need to talk about something? Is this a cry for help?"

"No ya dense bastards, no offense sir," Reno nodded his head towards Veld who just closed his eyes and shook his head, "It's a damn wiretap!"

That single word immediately made the room tense. Tseng kneeled next to Reno and examined the area that Reno was pointing to. Veld and Rude also leaned in closer to get a look. Sure enough, there was a small wire running the length of the plants trunk and a transmitter resting on a leaf.

"So there is. For once, you're childish pouting actually benefited us. As a side note Reno, that's not a wiretap."

Tseng patted Reno on the shoulder as he walked over to his desk and pressed a series of numbers. While he was making the call, Reno kept on tugging at the wire and finally pulled it off.

"Wait, it's not?"

"Wiretapping originates from attaching something to the wires of a phone to observe, intercept, or manipulate information."

Reno glared over his shoulder at Rude.

"Thank you, Mr. Dictionary. Then I found a video transmitter thingy…betcha there's also a wiretap. So ha, I'm still right!"

"I hate to admit it, but he's right. I've made a call to Reeve. He should be here shortly."

Tseng hung up the phone and then walked to the wall it was plugged into and pulled out the jack. He sighed and looked to Veld.

"How long and where else?"

Veld frowned as he crossed his arms and studied the plant.

"Who knows? Until Reeve gets here, we'll stay put."

Reno seemed to lose interest in the small device and threw it carelessly on Tseng's desk as he plopped down in a chair.

"Makes ya think…who in their right mind puts crap like that in a freakin' potted plant…in Tseng's office of all places…I pity the guy that has to sit through that. It must be so boring."

Tseng grabbed the wire and transmitter and began pulling it apart.

"Implications aside, this poses a series of questions."

"Yeah, but it'll all get cleared up once Mr. Smarty-Pants gets here."

"Reno, I'm flattered you find my trousers so intelligent."

All heads turned to face the doorway. Standing in the doorway was Reeve Tuesti. It was the first time Rude had really seen the man up close. He was proper, clean cut, and from what he had heard, one of the more sane members of the Shinra executives. While not officially a part of the main executive, he was quickly climbing the ranks due to his skill with computers and technology.

"Wiretapping is it then? That's easy enough to fix. However, finding out where they all came from is a different matter. Let me see the transmitter, please."

Reno snatched the pieces from Tseng and tossed them to Reeve who caught them and began studying it. After a few minutes ticked by, he tossed it back to Reno who caught one part and dropped the others.

"There's good new and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"Bad first. Then the good 'cause that helps make up for the bad."

Reeve ignored Reno and looked at Veld who nodded his head once.

"Alright. This transmitter system and most likely the wiretap is, in a single word, shit. It's not high-end, probably obtained through any electronics store or even homemade if the person had just enough knowledge and the proper materials."

He paused here and took a deep breath. Reno took the moment to steal the silence.

"If there are traitors and all that, what's to say it ain't somebody from the inside? I mean, we got lots of materials lyin' around and a good majority of the people here know how electronics and stuff work."

"So quick to assume it's an insider?"

Reno gave Reeve a light shrug.

"Always is. People are just like that…especially people workin' here."

"There's that cynicism. Innocent youth, where has it gone?"

Reeve made a mock gesture of despair resulting in a snort from Reno who just smirked and slouched in the chair further.

"Down the crapper along with my soul. So, what's the good news?"

Rude shifted the weight onto his other foot as he silently waited for the other news even though he wanted to scream at them to all shut up and get on with it. Reeve sighed and nodded his head.

"Good news is, because it's a piece of shit, I should be able to track them all down and find the source. I just have to find the frequency lines and then test them since there's a limited radius."

Veld gave his consent to it. Reno stood up and tossed Reeve his PHS unit.

"Somethin's wrong with it. How 'bout ya fix it for me?"

Reeve studied the device and chuckled as he noticed the large scratches and minor dent in the side.

"Your PHS isn't a football that you can just throw around Reno. However, I think I will take it for now. Is that alright with you, Commander?"

"Of course. It's not like he actually answers it or uses it properly. I'll just go through Rude here."

At the mention of his name, Reeve suddenly turned around to face Rude who was still standing quietly in the corner. He slipped the PHS into his pocket as he extended his hand.

"So you're the infamous Rude. It's a pleasure to meet you. As you may have guessed, I'm Reeve Tuesti. If you have any technical problems, please don't hesitate to drop by."

He smiled good-naturedly and then left the office. Rude stared after him and then looked at his partner.

"I know. You're wonderin' how that guy could possibly be a Turk? He's way too soft and caring and all warm fuzzies…and most importantly, unlike a lot of the other higher ups, he's not a blood sucking demon leech from the deepest pits of hell."

"A brilliant description Reno, but on to more serious matters."

Veld closed his eyes in concentration before nodding towards Tseng.

"I want all Turks on alert. Inform the President and the executives of the situation so as no information can be leaked. Reno, Rude, come with me. I still need to debrief you on your assignment."

"Yes sir!"

The three other Turks saluted in unison and went about their tasks. However, Reno paused at the doorway.

"Wait a minute sir!"

Before he got permission to even do anything, Reno sprinted off towards the apartments leaving behind a confused pair of Turks. It did not take long before Reno ran up and skidded to a halt in front of them.

"Here, this should help out until reeve gets something better and bigger."

He held out an ugly looking box, about six inches by four. At one end, there were miscellaneous wires protruding out and the surface was fitted with a switch and hole that looked like a poor speaker.

"This isn't arts and crafts."

The commander stared sternly at Reno who quickly snapped to attention.

"It's not a craft, sir. It's a special kind of detector. If the wiretaps and video transmitters are around, this thing should pick them up. I made it a while back for reasons I would rather not get into at any point in my life…"

The detector was offered to Veld who hesitantly took it and examined it.

"I see. Thank you Reno. Now, let's get to the rec. room and inform the others."

They followed silently behind the commander until they reached the door leading to the recreation room. When he opened the door, Victoria and Shanon quickly stood up and saluted.

"Sir!"

"At ease. Now, before we begin, I want a thorough sweep of this room. You are to check for any suspicious devices."

"Sir?"

Shanon stared questioningly at the commander who sighed.

"The security has been breached. A wiretap and video transmitter were discovered. There is the possibility that there are more. Before I brief you on your mission, I want this room cleaned."

The Turks saluted and then moved to the different corners of the room and began searching. While they were, Veld studied the object in his hand and waved it in front of Reno.

"How's this thing work?"

"Just turn it on and let it do its thing."

Veld studied a minute more before searching and finally discovering the switch. Rude heard a faint static noise, but ignored it as he checked a ceiling vent. He had to balance on top of a chair to look in. Using a small flashlight that he carried with him, he found a single wire. As he was about to pull the grating off, there was a loud, high-pitched squeal that about knocked him off balance. After re-establishing his balance, he looked over his shoulder at Veld who, though calm, also seemed a bit surprised. Quickly shutting it off, Veld set the detector down and then pulled off the picture frame of an old movie off the wall. Sure enough, there was a small wire running the length of the frame's back.

"Wow Reno, something of yours actually worked!"

"Shut up Girly-boy. See, told ya it would do until somethin' else is done."

"That's impressive, sir. When did you build your own…and why?"

Victoria paused in the middle of her task and looked at Reno who shrugged.

"No real reason…no real reason that will ever be talked about."

She tilted her head to the side questioningly resulting in Shanon patting her shoulder.

"Don't think to hard about it, Sweetheart. Reno's paranoid and crazy all in one. If he says he has a reason and doesn't want to say it, then that means we're probably better off not knowing about his random acts of stupidity."

Now it was Reno's turn to pause and stare. He whipped around and glared at Shanon.

"Stupidity?! Who ya callin' stupid ya stupid, transgender son of a-"

_BEEP_

The last bit was effectively covered up with perfect timing by Veld who found another wire. Victoria laughed when she saw Reno's incredulous expression. Rude could also not resist a small smile.

Between their search and the homemade detector, it did not take long for the area to be swept clean and all the devices were ripped apart and dropped in a cup of water. Satisfied with the results, Veld motioned towards the couches. Reno immediately plopped down into the recliner while Rude sat at one end of the couch with Shanon on the other and Victoria in the center.

"Alright. As you all know, tomorrow night at eighteen hundred hours, you will infiltrate a meeting between these recent terrorists. However, you also know that the chances of there being nothing or a trap is fairly high in both directions since the information did come from a captive. In addition, we now have to consider an even greater chance of finding nothing due to the recent discovery of these wires."

"So basically, we're screwed."

"More or less."

Reno sighed and pulled out his switchblade. He began to twirl it around and play with it. Veld took that moment to continue.

"While we are 'screwed,' we are not helpless. This mission will be executed as any other mission. You are to infiltrate the meeting, secure the area, and make them regret ever being born."

Only Commander Veld could be so calm yet convey so much passion. Judging from his gaze, it was clear that there would be no more fooling around. There would be hell to pay for causing this much chaos within the company and ranks.

"The only people who should be alive after this mission are those who will be the most useful. It seems that the odds are stacked against us."

"So we're either runnin' into nothing, or jumping into a trap. The odds are in their favor, and we have no idea what's goin' on even among our own…"

All eyes met Reno's. His eyes sparkled as they were shifting colors subtly between different hues of blue and green. His blade was out and he absentmindedly ran the blade along the scar on his right eye and a large smirk graced his features.

"I dunno. This couldn't get any better."

The commander nodded his head once in approval and then made eye contact with each Turk.

"We're Turks and we're going to show them exactly why you don't piss us off."

"Sir!"

They all responded in unison. He looked on in complete pride and approval. Rude felt a new surge of confidence build up inside of him and now, he was looking forward to tomorrow night. It would be all the better if it was a trap and filled with people just waiting to get a beating. The other Turks seemed to share the same sentiment as they all eagerly listened to the remaining details of the mission.

The sun had already set by the time they finished the briefing. After Veld left the room to check on the progress of the wire search, Reno let out a long yawn and stretched. Yawns were apparently contagious as Victoria also yawned. As she did, she checked her watch and was surprised.

"It's not even that late and I'm already tired."

"Briefings do that to ya."

Reno smirked in her direction causing her to giggle a little. Shanon stood up and flipped his hair off his shoulder.

"Well, I think I will go to bed a little earlier tonight since I want plenty of rest for tomorrow. Night."

"I think I'll do the same. Good night Rude, good night Reno."

"Night."

As Victoria was leaving the room, however, she paused and then looked over her shoulder with an almost pleading stare.

"Reno, sir?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't think…you don't think that, um, that he'll be there…do you?"

Reno kept a cool poker face though his gaze softened a bit as he stared back at her. He shrugged.

"Dunno. Might be, I mean, there's always a possibility since he's from here and knows a few things…who's to say until we get there?"

She nodded her head a little bit but still remained rooted in the doorway and she began to bite her bottom lip.

"If he is there…what-"

"You do your job. That's all ya can do. I'll be honest with you, I won't hold back just 'cause he's your brother and was a Turk. If he tries to kill me, I'll kill him first."

Rude turned his gaze towards Victoria who was still gnawing at her bottom lip. There was a small trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth. It was silent for a good few minutes before she opened her mouth.

"Thank you. I think…I understand now. Don't worry about me. I made my choice. I'll do my job."

She took shaky breath and made a move to exit the room. However, Reno called her back.

"And I'll do mine. Ya don't have to worry about it. 'Sides, ya got me, Rude, and Gaia forbid he's actually helpful, Shanon. I'd say you're pretty set. Anyways, ignore me and get to bed. It's past your bedtime anyways."

Reno turned back around so that his back was facing her. As she left, Rude saw a tiny smile on her lips. He faced his partner and studied him.

"Why the hell does she always ask me stuff like that? Do I look like a good person to go to for advice?"

He resumed playing with his blade again, only this time, he was cleaning underneath his nails. Rude leaned back into the couch and sighed.

"For this…yes."

"What do you mean, 'for this?'"

"ShinRa and the Turks."

Rude stared at the wall blank television screen in front of him. By this point, Reno stopped what he was doing and leaned over the armrest to get a better look at Rude.

"I'm not the expert here. She could just as easily ask Shanon. He's been here for a while now."

"You're honest and reassuring in the things you do and say."

Reno pointed the knife at Rude completely incredulous.

"You must be on drugs. I lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, and kill. In no way does 'honest' and 'reassuring' fit into anything about me."

"Honest and reassurance aren't necessarily always for positive things. That's only the societal connotation. You're an honest liar."

His partner just stared at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was for even suggesting it, but it made sense in his mind and there really was a level of reassurance that he found in Reno. Odd enough as it seemed, there many parts of him that conveyed a little more than he gave himself credit for most of the time.

"Is this some kind of existentialist paradox? If it is, I'm outta here. You're obviously either really tired or on some kind of drug to come up with that kind of emo crap. If it's drugs, then…I want some. If not, I'm goin' to bed. Night."

"Night."

Reno waltzed out of the room shaking his head and mumbling to himself. Rude remained sitting by himself always staring at the blank screen. The clock on the wall ticked by and finally, after motivating himself, he stood up and stretched. At this junction, he also decided it would be best to get a good night's rest. He shut the lights off as he left the room and walked steadily to the apartments. Looking out the window at the end of the hallway, Rude studied the waning moon. The stars sparkled around it making a shimmering frame. This high up, it was easy to see the cosmos. It was large and expansive. He was only a small fraction of the entirety of the universe, but he did not care. Rude did not care because he was right here, right now. There did not need to be anywhere else or anybody else; just him and his job.

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**A/N:** Woot! I'm so happy this is done. By the by, ignore my lack of technical terms with the electronics. I know the gist of how things work, just no fancy words to go with it. We can't all be Reeve. Anyhoo, please look forward to the next chapter as it will be filled with danger, excitement, and good 'ole violence. Plus, we finally get to meet Nernst!...As if anybody actually remembers him from previous conversations...If you do, well, you get a big cyber pancake of joy. Thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoyd it!


	17. Nernst

**A/N:** Wow, it has been way too long since my last update. How time flies when you're oblivious to it...Anyways, at long last, I have updated and it is a large one. This chapter is a bit long, or it feels long, I don't know. You pick. Either way, I'm back in action now that I realized time still flows no matter how much I wish it didn't sometimes. Anyhoo, Nernst shows up and I laughed when I remembered how I picked his name...My weirdness aside, please enjoy the story!

I don't own FFVII

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"Ya know, this day took an odd turn somewhere along the way and I'm not sure when or how."

Rude grunted his agreement as he backed up against his partner who was nervously eying the group of people who were all armed to the teeth and pointing their weapons straight at him. It should have been simple enough even though they were expecting it to be a trap. An ambush was easy enough to anticipate, but this, this somehow got sorely out of hand. Both Turks were in the center of small room surrounded by twelve guards with varying weapons. Rude was more concerned with the vast amount of guns in the room. Those were a little more difficult to avoid in a fight. In addition, any weapons or materia they possessed was confiscated. While Rude's main weapon was his own two fists, that was not going to be enough to get by these people. His partner seemed less than pleased though, from the way his eyes flickered across the room, he was still trying to plan some sort of escape.

"Let go of my hair!"

The door to the room suddenly swung open and an angry looking woman of big build was dragging Shanon behind her by his hair. He was stumbling to try and keep up while preventing his hair from being pulled out. Victoria was right behind him and was being carried over a large man's shoulder. She was still struggling but the man' grip on her was too strong and all she managed to do was annoy her guard. He more or less dumped her in a heap at Rude's feet. He leaned down and helped her stand up while Reno smirked at Shanon who was currently cradling his hair.

"What? Don't like the women rough?"

"Shut up."

Reno shrugged. Once they were all on their feet, they kept their backs to each other in order to always be facing once of the room's directions. However, the current situation found it quite difficult to do anything since they were solely outmatched in weaponry. There was only so much one could do without weapons before being laid to waste. While all Turks were sizing up the crowd, the door suddenly swung open and somebody came through.

"Well, well, it seems your reckless behavior has gotten you into trouble again, Partner."

Even though his back was to him, Rude could feel Reno tense.

"However, this time, you're not going to get out of this one. There are only so many lives you have."

"Maybe, but considerin' your past exploits, it ain't gonna be you doin' anything. Ya suck way too much, yo."

It did not take long for Reno to relax again and resume his normal tactic of insulting the enemy. His opponent grew flush in the face and looked like he was ready to scream.

"Ha ha, you haven't changed at all, Nernst."

So the young man standing before him was Darcy Nernst. Rude was not impressed to say the least. He had seen the various photos of him during different briefings, but none of those came close to matching the man who supposedly had their lives in the palm of his hand. He stood about the same height as Reno except he seemed to be dwarfed by the latter. His long, dark hair was pulled back into a braid though Rude could see that the roots were a little lighter. So, there was another notch lower on his "impressed meter stick." He did not keep up with regular dying. Rude was not sure why he was dying it in the first place. Whatever dye he used made his hair look ratty. This was another reason he was glad that he did not possess any hair.

"Neither have you, Reno."

"Good come-back."

Shanon was smirking and seemed to be more than happy that his comment darkened the shade of red on Nernst's face. In a quick and jerky movement, Nernst adjusted the collar of his black trench coat and cleared his throat.

"Still don't know how to shut up, do you?"

"I believe such a comment should be directed at Reno."

There was a brief moment of silence before Nernst shook his head and turned his back to the Turks.

"Anyways, for claiming to be so great, I'm surprised you fell so easily into our trap. They were correct in their assumption that you would show. Once I get the word, you'll all be history. I'm the one who has the power here, not you."

Again he turned around to face the four Turks triumphantly. Victoria placed her finger on her chin and looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

"But you don't have any real power if you have superiors to tell you everything."

Nernst walked over to her and stared confidently at her face causing her to cringe and spit out her tongue in disgust. Her head turned to the side a little bit as though she were trying to avoid having to look at him full on.

"What makes you say that, little girl? I'm the one who's in charge here."

"Uh-huh, so why do you have to wait for somebody to give you the word to kill us? If you're in charge, how come you don't give the order yourself?"

Reno and Shanon started to snicker while Victoria gave Nernst a smug sideways glance. Rude remained stoic as ever though he was cheering on Victoria on the inside. He studied their captor to see how he would react. Oddly enough, Rude noticed that he had a blank and somewhat clueless expression.

"I don't have to wait for anybody!"

"…but you just said you had to wait for the order only a few seconds ago."

Victoria was staring incredulously at Nernst who had a distant look on his face much like the kind that people get when they are remembering something. Reno smirked and crossed his arms while he leaned into Rude's back.

"Still the skilled linguist. Again, how did you get into any ShinRa program let alone the Turks? Are you embarrassed?… 'cause I'm embarrassed for ya, yo."

That seemed to be the last straw as Nernst finally lashed out at Reno. He grabbed him by the collar and shook him back and forth. Reno appeared to get a kick out of it since he remained loose and let himself rock back and forth with a grin plastered on his face.

"Shut up, just shut up! I'm sick and tired of your useless rambling! It won't be much longer and I'll never have to listen to your annoying voice ever again!"

With that, he let go of Reno's collar and stormed out of the room with the door slamming behind him. Reno still had a goofy grin on his face while he straightened out his suit.

"Well, that brought back the memories! By the way, good work Victoria. Ya really got him goin'!"

"I wasn't really even trying..."

Victoria appeared to be confused as to what just happened and if was trying to process if their captor was truly that scatter-brained and idiotic yet in charge. As she pondered this, Rude noticed that she looked like she had a revelation.

"Oh my gosh...He's you."

She stared wide-eyed at Reno who was suddenly frowning. Shanon burst into unrestrained laughter. Rude waved his hand in front of his partner's face and got no reaction.

"Hahahaha!! Now you can imagine what it was like when both of them were together! Hahaha!"

It was only due to Rude's superior reflexes that Shanon was not tackled to the ground and beaten to a pulp. He was restraining Reno by holding firmly to the scruff of his uniform. His partner was practically off the ground he had to pull so hard.

"What's that supposed to mean?! We're nothing alike! That is the highest form of insult possible! How can ya even begin to think we're alike?!"

He was practically screeching at Victoria who had the good sense to cringe away yet a continual spasm of muscle around her mouth signaled her growing inability to stifle a smile. This seemed to just keep Shanon laughing. Rude took in the situation and decided that going out laughing was a pretty good death. The other guards in the room were eying them suspiciously and nervously as the episode in front of them continued.

"All of you, shut up!"

A single gun shot rang out and effectively silenced the room. The others standing next to the man who fired the gun backed away from him. The four Turks in the center of the room just watched him curiously.

"What the hell is all this racket?! I can't get anything done!"

The door swung open again and Nernst walked through. He glared at all of the guards and landed his gaze on the man holding the gun. Stalking over to him, Nernst pulled back and punched him, sending the man reeling backwards. A couple of fellow guards caught him and helped him to his feet. After making sure that everybody knew that he was not tolerating any funny business, he whipped around to face the Turks.

"I take it that it's your fault he got like this?"

He crossed his arms imperiously and looked down on them, only, with Rude, that was a little difficult. Either way, his posture indicated that he meant business. Then again, Rude was still having a hard time taking him too seriously. He then thought that maybe he had been around Reno too long to be thinking like that in a situation where his life was on the line.

"Wasn't us. We're mindin' our own business and Twitchy, over there," Reno jerked his thumb towards the man with a growing bruise on his face, "Decided that he wanted to play with his gun. I think ya should find yourself some better grunts, yo."

"Well. We can't all find people like you to do our dirty work, now can we?"

Nernst leaned forward towards Reno who in turn, leaned backwards to keep their faces from coming any closer. A spark of defiance flew between them and both did not seem ready to back down. However, Nernst did resume a normal posture and then began circling the group. As a natural response, the four Turks adjusted themselves so they were pressed against each other, back to back. He noted the change in stance and smirked.

"Despite your talk, you do seem to be awfully on guard."

Nobody said a word. He seemed to enjoy this response and paused mid-step when he came face to face with Rude.

"Hm, interesting. So you're stuck with him, are you? What's your name?"

"He's Rude."

Reno calmly gestured towards Rude who remained quiet and collected.

"I don't care about his manners! Tell me your name!"

The sudden muffled laughing from three of the Turks set Nernst off even more causing him to grab the front of Rude's suit jacket and jerking him downwards.

"My name _is_ Rude."

He had to keep from rolling his eyes at Nernst who suddenly started blushing and quickly let go. He coughed and cleared his throat. In a poor attempt to save his waning dignity, Nernst assumed a haughty expression.

"Well that's a stupid name."

Rude remained blank and said nothing. Memories of being teased at school suddenly flooded his mind. By now, Reno, Shanon, and Victoria were not even trying to hide their amusement and mockery. It took a few moments of everybody, even the guards, laughing before Nernst shot a glare towards his subordinates. Eventually, the Turks reigned in their laughter and waited expectantly. He finally seemed to calm down himself and out of the blue, like nothing had even happened, he resumed his examination and questioning of Rude.

"Enjoying yourself yet? Reno's quite the handful. I remember when I first met him and immediately realized how idiotic yet deceitful he was. I found it fascinating. He had no qualms about his job...no matter what it entailed. I also found myself disgusted with it."

Rude simply shifted his weight and crossed his arms.

"Idiotic, nobody disagrees with you. Deceitful...he's too stupid to pull that off."

"Hey! I _am_ right here, yo!"

They both ignored Reno and continued their staring match. The minutes seemed to stand still and the room filled with a thick silence. It was not until Reno suddenly kicked Nernst that time resumed course. He bounced up and down while rubbing his shin. Reno, as always, was grinning like an idiot. He clearly enjoyed what he just did.

"You little wretch! You manage to destroy and ruin every moment! You are so lucky that they want you Turks alive!"

It took some time before Nernst was able to stand up straight again. After adjusting his coat, he limped over towards Reno. As he approached, Rude shifted his weight again so that he was blocking his path. Once more, Nernst made eye contact with Rude and remained silent. After a many seconds of silent and intense staring went by, he opened his mouth. However, before he could say anything, Rude beat him to it.

"Hmph. I know I'm good looking, but I don't swing that way."

Bright red colored his cheeks while Rude watched on with a mildly amused expression. Though not much changed about him, there was a trace of a small smirk on his face. Nernst sputtered about incoherently for a second before growling in frustration and storming out of the room with a huff. After the door slammed shut, Rude heard Reno laugh.

"Haha! That was priceless. Like I said before, you're a deceptively snarky person, partner."

He just nodded hid head once and resumed a ready, yet more relaxed posture. However, he had to jump a little in surprise when the door slammed open and Nernst stormed back in. He opened his mouth to say something, but Reno beat him to the punch.

"Ya know, a come back isn't when ya leave and then come back, yo."

Reno smirked and Nernst clenched his teeth together. After eying some of the guards, Reno broke out into a grin.

"Do ya guys actually follow this guy?"

They appeared unwilling to answer though a few threw cautious glances at Nernst who stormed up to Reno. He looked like he was going to say something, but changed his mind. Instead he punched Reno, catching the corner of his chin. Reno stumbled a bit but regained his balance soon after.

"Glad ya haven't changed, ya sissy."

Nernst grabbed Reno's collar and pulled his arm back in another attempt to hit him. However, he seemed to gain a hold of himself and let go. His mouth opened, but then closed. It seemed as though he was too angry or too something to even speak coherently. Settling on a frustrated grunt, Nernst, for the third time, left the room.

"Think he left for good this time?...Tell me again how he became a Turk and my partner?"

Reno scratched his head questioningly and took a deep sigh. Rude felt him lean up against him like a resting post. He did not bother to shove him away, but settled for cracking his knuckles. It was not intended for any reason other than to loosen his joints and was a nervous habit he was trying to get rid of. However, there was no way for the guards to know that and the way most of them shifted nervously and glanced at each other, it apparently came off as something else, menacing perhaps.

"What are we waiting for? We should just kill them now and take no more risks. Our so called leader can't even stand up to them and if we wait any longer, they'll do something and then we lose our chance to get rid of four Turks!"

As the one guard spoke, he swung his gun around wildly but always brought it back to point at Shanon's face. Shanon just looked annoyed each time and attempted to dodge the weapon being haphazardly flung around. Another guard, the same woman who dragged Shanon in, slapped the man's face.

"Shut up and stop making a fool of yourself! We can't just kill them without any permission. We need them alive to give us information!"

The male guard continued to swing his pistol around while Shanon continued to dodge it. Rude noted that the man was absolutely terrified of them. For some reason, that amused him. Actually, it appeared to be amusing them all. Reno kept lightly bobbing his head as if agreeing with something in his mind.

"What would make them talk?! They practically invented interrogation methods not to mention they're freaks of nature! Just kill 'em off before they kill us!"

"Ugh! We have all the weapons, they've got nothing now. The tall guy may have taken out the guards with his fists, but he wouldn't try anything in this situation."

"Way to go partner."

Rude nodded his head in acknowledgment and let himself be proud at how many of these people met the receiving end of his fists and did not get back up to talk about it.

"C'mon man! Get some balls and stand up to her. Kill us now!"

The man paused his flailing a moment to nervously glance at Reno who flashed him an encouraging smile and two thumbs up.

"No way! Listen to orders. Show that pansy his place!"

Now it was the woman's turn to eye Victoria warily. Rude allowed himself to fall in line.

"Agreed. Hold your ground."

"Forget big and bald. Show that butch who's boss!"

Shanon was no siding with Reno. The two guards and the others were silent and staring at the Turks in confusion.

"Butch? Jealous that she's manlier than you?"

"Don't even go there!"

Shanon and Rude were now posturing and trying to stare each other down. Meanwhile, Victoria was having her own match against Reno.

"You shouldn't push your disregard for authority on other people. It's clear who has the upper hand here. We need to play out our time."

"Pfft, yeah right. Takin' orders ain't the way to get by. Let 'em mess up. Do what ya gotta do to live, right pal?"

The guard jumped when he was talked to. Despite the encouraging express, he appeared to grow more agitated. The others around him also seemed to be ill at ease with the new situation. This was in no way anything they had expected. The man pointed his gun at Reno while screaming at the woman.

"See?! They're up to something! They shouldn't just be arguing with themselves! How do you know this wasn't part of their plan?!"

"They know their situation and have accepted it, so of course they're going at each other! Get a spine and don't give them a reason to say we're weak."

"Too late!"

Their heads whipped around to glare or stare in fear at Reno but were too slow to prevent him from shooting them both in the head. By the time the others got around to processing what was happening, the other Turks stole their weapons as well and started a free for all shoot-out. Ironically, the smaller space made it more difficult for the guards to shoot. They had a smaller target and a greater chance of taking down one of their own. The Turks, on the other and, had a large target and their position made it so there was no chance of hitting one of their own.

Between the strategic position and the sudden confusion, it did not take long to clear the room. Rude grabbed some ammunition from a dead guard nearby while Reno shuffled through the bodies until he found his electro-mag rod. Shanon and Victoria did the same and then moved to either side of the doorway. Rude stood behind Reno who nodded to Shanon to open the door. It slowly opened and Reno cautiously leaned out. There was sharp ring of a gunshot and he pulled his head back in quickly.

Shanon shut the door and Victoria proceeded to jam the handle with her staff.

"How many?"

"How to put it...have ya made peace yet?"

Victoria grew pale but remained silent while Shanon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. There was a banging noise on the door and it began to rattle. Rude ran a hand over his head and checked his gun. he nodded at Reno who shrugged and gripped his EMR in his left hand and a handgun in his right.

"Well, guess you're ready? 'Kay, if we stay here, we got a better chance."

He looked over at Shanon who nodded and adjusted the grip on his sword.

"Funnel them through. Hopefully something happens before we die."

"Thousand gil says Commander sends somebody to save our sorry asses. Probably Steve and...uh...old guy person..."

"Scott."

"Oh yeah. Thanks."

Shanon studied Reno briefly before smirking.

"Double or nothing says the help is too late."

"You're on."

Victoria looked horrified at their conversation and Rude cocked an eyebrow. Reno smirked and spun his gun.

"I'm an optimist, yo."

Rude shook his head and leveled his gun at the door. His partner grinned and aimed his gun as well. Shanon gripped his sword tighter and nodded his head at Victoria.

"Let's not keep them waiting then."

With a deep breath, Victoria removed her staff from the door which allowed the door to swing open due to the outside force. Without any hesitation Rude shot the first person that appeared at the doorway. Another dropped dead from a well placed bullet from Reno.

What little furnishings there were, were used as shields and barricades. Rude and Reno crouched behind a small table turned on its side while shooting anything moving towards them. Anybody they missed and entered the room were effectively knocked or cut down by Victoria and Shanon. A good number of them were taken down before they appeared to draw back. While it was a good first start, they were in for the worse now that the guards realized that heading in wildly was suicide.

"Right...Sooo, what do we do now?"

Everybody took time to breathe and check over their weapons while determining the best course of action. Reno was carelessly looting the dead bodies for more ammunition. Victoria was poking the dead bodies, checking for any vital signs.

"We probably need to get out of this room soon...before they force us out."

"Good call Tori. But how should we?...and where the hell is Nernst anyhow? A ruckus like this should have drawn him out here."

At thsi point, Shanon, Victoria, and Rude all stared expectantly at Reno.

"What? How should I know? He's probably cryin' and bein' all emo in a corner or somethin'."

He stood up and stretched. After cracking the joints in his body, Reno held his hand out.

"They don't have a whole lot, but they got some materia though where ours went, who knows?"

There was a small pile next to him and a couple in his hand. Rude crouched near the pile and picked up a materia. A warm sensation coursed through his body. Standing up, he locked the orb into the open slot on his gun. Satisfied with his fire materia, Rude nodded towards Reno.

"Ya read then? Here, take this too."

Reno tossed him a red materia. It too was warm to the touch and Rude knew it was Ifrit. His partner shot him a mischievous grin.

"Time to burn this shit to the ground, yo."

Reno holstered his gun and turned on his EMR. A cackle of energy snaked the length of the rod as it warmed up. Victoria finished adding materia to her staff as did Shanon to the hilt of his fencing saber. With a quick twirl of her staff, there was a soft glow around them.

"Barrier...Hopefully that'll help for a little bit."

"Our best bet is to head east. The western end has too many open spaces and too few exits."

"'Kay then. I'll go with it. Sound good, big guy?"

A single nod was enough of an answer to get things moving. Shanon threw the door open and ducked into the hallway with Victoria covering the opposite end.

"Ice3!"

Four incoming guards were frozen in place leaving room for Rude and Reno to enter the hallway. Only a few guards remained but were quickly taken down. They paused before entering the doorway down the hall. Instead, they paused right outside of it and studied the next room.

Wooden crates balanced precariously on top each other and were overshadowed by the overhanging catwalks. The largest and widest one lined three sides of the spacious storage room. Smaller ones sprouted intermittently from the main one with each one in turn leading to another small catwalk. The overall effect created an elaborate floating maze.

Though it was completely silent, a few of the shadows would shift ever now and again. It was easy enough to imagine the owners of the shadows readying weapons and just waiting to pounce.

"So, we got, like, five options in the way we die...six if ya count this really creative one and...yeah, never mind. We'll leave that one alone."

Shanon shook his head but had small grin on his face.

"Fine. We'll go with a straightforward approach."

"Hey, Rude, you have fire materia, right?"

He nodded his head once. Victoria bit her lower lip thoughtfully and the pointed to a few boxes in teh corner.

"Blast those crates over there. Judging from that symbol and the design of the boxes, something in it should blow up."

"Whoo-hoo! Blow shit up!"

The small, excited cheer from Reno made Victoria giggle. Shanon patted her on the shoulder and Rude nodded once again. he moved forward so that he was leaning against the door jam and in sight of the crates. Taking a deep breath, Rude concentrated on the small orb lodged into his gun. The same warmth he felt earlier increased in its intensity until the heat became to much.

"Fire."

Speaking the word seemed to help channel the energy out and keeping his concentration on the distant crates. In response, flames erupted near the crates setting their wooden structure on fire. The flames danced around the crates and caused a small group of people to jump from their hiding spots and run. Barely a few feet away, the guards were knocked forward and consumed by a bright flash and deafening boom. The crates indeed blew up and the resulting explosion engulfed the entire portion of the building in brightly colored flames. The chemicals that were being stored caused the sparks and licks of flame to vary in a myriad of colors that would have been enchanting were it not for the life or death situation.

"Surprise!"

Without waiting for the smoke to clear and the flames to subside, Reno was sprinting into the cloud of smoke with the others close on his heels. Using the element of surprise and the cover of smoke, the Turks went to work laying waste to the their enemies. They were still at a disadvantage with their limited numbers and the lack of knowledge about how many they were up against. However, they had the advantage of being Turks and they were currently royally pissed and ready to kill.

"Topside!"

Reno's voice echoed through the storage along with the sharp cracks of gunfire and the clanging of metal. Rude neatly punched a person foolishly running towards him and quickly searched the room. A small ladder was on the far wall and he made a mad dash for it. Not even bothering to take down anybody nearby, Rude latched onto the ladder and made record time.

When he tried to get his bearings, Rude head to squint his eyes to try and make out movement. He took a step forward and noticed a brief stream of electricity through the haze. It appeared to come from the center of the room.

Rude studied his location and what it would take to get to his partner. After quickly examining the structures, he was fairly certain he would die by plummeting to the ground. Currently, he was standing on the main walkway which was secured to the wall and had bases firmly attached to the ground. However, the smaller catwalks were supported only by suspension wires. Even though they were designed to support free movement, Rude did not think they were designed to handle the stress of a fight.

"Damn it all..."

After quickly dispatching a man attempting to climb up, Rude took a deep breath and made a leap of faith. The next catwalk he stood on was steady and he felt better about the situation. Trying to move quickly, but cautiously due to the smoke, Rude was able to make some good progress, alternating between moving and shooting. Every so often he would have to duck an dodge as others had a similar idea of gaining the high ground.

"Keep going! We'll cover you!"

He faintly heard Victoria's voice over the din of battle and concentrated on moving towards Reno. As quickly as he was moving, it was still a painfully slow process. More than once did he almost step off. The catwalks were segmented and had no logical pattern. Adding to the problem was the smoke which was now hanging in a thick cloud on the upper level. As he stumbled forward, he suddenly had memories of all the times his mother warned him about the dangers of playing at high heights. He found it distractingly amusing how often his current profession brought those "mother knows best" situations to mind.

Finally, he was able to make out two silhouettes. They were moving faster than Rude could care to imagine at this height and structure. As he approached closer, he made out more flashes of electricity until he was standing one walkway away.

Reno and Nernst were continually charging at each other and then separating. At no point were they ever standing still. They seemed oblivious of the height and precarious arena. Rude watched and debated on what he should do. He could try to shoot while Nernst was distracted, but chances were, he would miss and even possibly hit Reno. On the other hand, he could try to double team but judging from their speed and glaring concentration, he would more or less get in the way. So in the end, Rude settled for a frustrated grunt and to watch and wait.

"This really is the only thing ya can do, ain't it?"

"Ha! I'll enjoy wiping that smirk off your face permanently."

Despite he previous behavior and unimpressive looks, Nernst was a gifted fighter. As a fellow fist fighter, Rude could appreciate his technique. He was swift and accurate. Given that his build was similar to Reno, he had an agility and flexibility that was also working for his advantage. In a free for all between Nernst and Reno, the victor could be either and it was a spectacular fight for sure.

They both were balanced on the catwalk guardrails on separate sections. There was a brief stare down before they leaped from their positions and struck out at each other. Nernst gracefully dodged Reno's EMR and followed by an uppercut. Reno was able to twist his body and avoid being hit. They landed on different catwalks and immediately resumed their fight.

It was a wild dance of dodging and attacking and of speed and balance. Neither paid attention to their limited space. They jumped and flipped from one section to another. At one point, Rude was used as a stepping stone by Reno. He just hopped right off his shoulder and continued his attack. Rude was careful when he moved himself to another section as well. Even if he was not participating directly, he did not want to be too far away from his partner. While he was not ecstatic at being a springboard, he felt like he would still do what it took to keep Reno and himself alive.

"Reno! Rude!"

Shanon's voice cut through the fight and caused Rude, Reno, and Nernst to turn their heads. Shanon pointed to the storage entrance where a large number of lackeys were filing through. Glancing over his shoulder at Rude, Reno hopped onto the guardrail of the catwalk he was on and balanced himself by holding onto a support wire.

"What now, Partner?"

Rude could hear the mocking tone in Nernst's voice and knew it was bothering Reno. His partner was frowning and gripped the wire until his knuckles turned bright white. His gaze shifted back and forth between Nernst and the new wave of attackers. The minute he saw that, Rude aimed his gun and fired. Nersnt flinched and backed away. The noise from the gunshot snapped Reno out of whatever trance he was in and began looking around.

"Wow...I am...really high up..."

There was a brief moment of stunned silence from Rude who watched as his partner seemed to lose some of that grace and balance as he looked down. It did not take long though for him to shake his head and take action.

"Ya know how I said to 'burn this shit to the ground'?"

Rude nodded while Reno ran and hopped section to section until he was standing next to Rude.

"Then burn this shit to the ground!"

Concentrating on the red orb, Rude once again summoned the eternal heat and let everything else fade away. He was aware that reno was shooting and buying him time, but he put it aside. However much time passed, he did not know, but when he refocused on the area around him, everything was either charred or still in flames.

"Great. Let's go. I'd rather not die by going splat."

Reno was tugging on his sleeve and began hoping around. Rude followed behind, glad that he could see again. They made quick progress despite the people still around to shoot at them. Looking down, he could see Victoria and Shanon cutting down those who blocked their way to the exit.

"Nernst?"

"Tck. Guy ran off after ya started summoning...Didn't see where he went."

They made it to the main catwalk and climbed down. When he got closer to the ground, he jumped the rest of the way. When Reno landed, he shook his hands before running towards the entrance. Rude also found himself jumping down also due to the temperature of the metal. He supposed that the vast amount of burning that had occurred was the source.

"Gotta admit though, I'm always sidetracked by Ifrit's attack. Then again, giant fireball of burning destruction are just freakin' cool."

What few people were left did not pose any threat. A loud creaking noise caused the Turks to sprint for the exit and get away. When they were outside, there was a collective, exasperated sigh that was disguised by the sound of a building collapsing.

"Where do they come from? We kill 'em and more pop up!"

They were in a large open space and blocked in. The quickly burning building was to their backs and the remaining sides were blocked by either guards with guns or to one side, a set of caged cuahls paced their pen. Altogether, a bad situation and Rude was beginning to wonder how far their luck would carry out.

"Haha! I give you credit for getting this far!"

Nernst was standing a distance away with confidence. His hair was coming out of his braid and stuck straight up. Another fun effect of fighting against somebody with an electric stick.

"However, even you have a limit on how many lives you get."

"I dunno about that. As long as you're in charge, our chances of bestin' ya are pretty high."

Reno was glaring at Nersnt and seemed oblivious to the surroundings.

"Nuh-uh. I ain't gonna die, not until I've rid the world of a pansy-ass emo wannabe like you."

The comment wiped the smug grin off Nersnt's face. Red tinged his cheeks and he clenched his fists.

"Keep up your smart-mouthing while you can."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The guards readied their weapons and the cage to the cuahls was opened. The feline monsters prowled forward slowly, their long, whip-like whiskers twitching as if sensing their surroundings through the air. They approached closest to Victoria who tensed and held her staff in front of her. Rude looked around and found he was unable to do anything. Nobody wanted to make any quick movements that would encourage the cuahls to attack.

"Enough of this! Die already!"

Nernst fired a single shot at Reno who stumbled into Rude. Rude steadied his partner and checked him over for injury. There was a small tear in the upper arm of his jacket sleeve. He looked up at Rude and sighed.

"I told you he sucked."

"Guys!"

Victoria clenched her staff in hand as the cuahls tensed on their haunches and prepared to pounce. As they lept, they were immediately knocked away. Now they were on the ground nursing large gashes. One was already dead.

"What happened?!"

Nernst was screaming but was interrupted when he suddenly dropped to the ground in order to dodge something. Rude was tense and looked around. He felt something whiz by his head.

"Rekka never looked so good!"

Rude looked the same way as his partner and saw a small figure leaping in the air and catching the object flying around. Before landing, the figure threw the object once more into the crowd. It cut through a large number and headed straight for Reno. With a spinning motion of his body, he caught the object and smirked. It was a large shuriken and was decorated with splatters of blood.

The figure landed and sprinted towards the Turks. In the time it took for this to happen, Nernst was still picking himself up from the ground and the guards were still frozen in place. Rude watched as the figure came closer and realized it was a young girl, younger than Reno, with a petite build. She flipped a chunk of smooth brown hair over her shoulder. It fell among the other locks in a sea of gentle waves.

"I always have to save you, don't I?"

As she spoke, there was an outcry from another set of people. Bodies slumped to the ground in a puddle of blood at an alarming rate. Finally deciding to act during the confusion, Rude and the others began to move. Reno tossed the young girl her shuriken who smiled and threw it once more. As it took off, Reno followed it into the foray and began a melee attack. Following suit, Rude also took to close range fighting.

While he was methodically eliminating the remaining people, he caught sight of Scott who was dodging and throwing knives. A short distance away, he could see Nernst quietly slipping away. Not about to let him go that easily, Rude began moving towards him. When he was gaining ground, he was suddenly slammed into. Fortunately, being of a larger build, it took a bit to knock him down. Instead, he stumbled a bit and when he regained his balance, he could no longer find Nernst.

"Sorry about that little bump Rude."

Steve was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Guy got me on my blind side."

Rude looked around again and found that nobody was in the immediate vicinity. He let out a frustrated growl at losing sight of their target. By now, the noise dimmed to the sound of a couple classes of metal. Surveying the area, he saw a new figure he did not recognize finishing a swipe of his sword.

"Hey, Alexander!"

The unknown man looked up from what he was doing and gave a small grin towards Reno who was happily waving while sitting atop a few bodies slumped on top of each other.

"Well, you guys sure know how to get in trouble...and destroy things in your wake."

Steve pointed towards the storage room which was half-collapsed with large plumes of smoke drifting towards the sky.

"From what I see, you cause as much damage as Reno."

He was caught off guard by the light voice coming from behind. Turing around and looking down, he found the young girl absently twirling her large shuriken. She barely even reached his chest but carried herself with confidence.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Cissnei."

She held out her hand and Rude took it in his. It was small but she had a firm grip. However, despite her in charge demeanor, she had gentle features and a calming aura about her that made Rude feel comfortable in her presence. Then it struck him. Why had Reno called her Rekka?

"Are you all okay? We tried to get her as soon as possible."

"Your concern is touching as always, yo."

Cissnei's attention was drawn to Reno who waltzed up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I have never been so happy to see Rekka."

Reno jovially patted the over-sized shuriken she held at her side and Rude felt slightly dense for not putting two and two together. Shanon then approached with Victoria. They looked a bit worse for wear, but appeared in good enough condition considering. A look of concern crossed Cissnei's face when she took in Victoria who was a bit pale and breathing heavily.

"Oh, please don't worry about me...Just a bit winded...and really relieved."

She leaned against her staff but was quickly shooed to the side and forced to sit down by the young Turk.

"Still, take a seat and take deep breaths."

As she fussed over a slightly embarrassed Victoria, the man who responded to Alexander walked over and sheathed his katana.

"You can't spell 'smothering' without 'mothering'."

He extended his hand towards Rude.

"Alexander. It's a pleasure."

Calm and to the point, Rude appreciated his straightforward manner. A single scar ran down his cheek and was accompanied by a pair of square shaped glasses. Although he seemed kind enough, there was something different about him that Rude could not quite place.

"Right! Alexander, this is Rude, he's my partner."

"Yes. I managed to gather that, Reno."

He smirked when Reno stuck his tongue out. But, deciding it was not wroth it, he plopped on the ground and leaned back on his hands.

"So, when did ya guys get back and where the hell were ya this whole time?"

Alexander adjusted his glasses thoughtfully and crossed his arms.

"Oh, I would say bout a few hours ago. We were in Mideel dealing with some...unsavory characters," As he spoke, a guard managed to pick himself up and move towards him. In a flash, the man was pierced through the heart before he could even reach Alexander who continued his explanation, "We tried to talk in a genteel manner, but," Without looking behind him, he made a rapid set of motions that effectively silenced the guard, cleaned off the blade, then sheathed the katana and resumed his original arms crossed position. "People are just so violent these days."

"And ya ask me why I think you're scary?"

Reno blew a stray strand of hair from his face as he looked over and studied the now very dead man. Before Rude could even say anything, Alexander had cut down the enemy with only moving his arms and without looking back. It was awe-inspiring and frightening to think about. He was unfazed and continued to chat away.

"When we got back, the Commander immediately dispatched us again. I get no rest when you're involved."

Reno chuckled and stood up while dusting off his pants.

"Funny how everybody seems to say that, yo. I'm sure Rude could tell ya all 'bout it."

Patting him on the shoulder as he passed by, Reno waltzed over to the females and Shanon leaving Rude alone with Alexander, Scott, and Steve.

"Interesting. I'm sure you get this quite a bit, but, how's that working out? You don't strike me as the unrestrained talkative type."

It was indeed a common question, but the way he asked it did not bother Rude. For once, there was no sense of underlying questioning, just a simple question based on an obvious observation.

"Busy...very busy."

"Only busy? No need to be nice, he isn't listening."

Scott jabbed his thumb to the side where Reno was currently being wrestled to the ground by Cissnei who was trying to get to his arm. Victoria had her hands over her mouth as the two rolled around.

"Seriously. But you know, he's taking this well. I mean, Nernst did get away."

A sharp glare from Alexander did not go unnoticed by Rude when Steve made that comment. At first, Rude counted it as his imagination, but the relaxed expression that he was wearing now made him reconsider. While not skillful at physiognomy as others, he had an eye for observation and catching small changes.

"Yes. That is a disappointment. Things are proving to be more slippery than we imagined. However, regarding the current situation, Reno knows how to do his job, regardless of the noise he makes."

They all looked over at Reno who was no longer in a wrestling match, but was no giving Cissnei a large bear hug. In her attempt to get away, she wound up grabbing Shanon's hair by accident.

"Ow! My hair's been abused enough already!"

Victoria was no longer hiding her amusement and was openly laughing. Scott watched with mild amusement and chuckled softly. Rude remained quiet as ever and studied Alexander out of the corner of his eye. While everybody was watching the little out of control skirmish, the swordsman was watching Scott and Steve. Impassive interest was how Rude would describe it, but it struck him as odd. As if sensing his thoughts, Alexander brought a finger to his lips and softly smiled. Rude maintained an inexpressive expression and continued to watch the match.

"H-hey! Watch where ya throw that thing!"

Cissnei was brandishing Rekka threateningly at Reno who was hiding behind a still giggling Victoria. Their activity was interrupted, however, by the approaching sound of helicopter blades cutting through the air.

A large black helicopter bearing the bright ShinRa logo on its side gradually came closer. The Turks gathered together and waited at attention while the helicopter landed. As the blades gradually slowed down, the side door slid open and Tseng jumped out. With his appearance, they all saluted and then waited at ease. While waiting for the noise to die down, Tseng took the time to survey the area. His dark stare stayed on the destroyed stoage facility then quickly flickered over to Reno. At long last, the noise died down.

"I was under the impression there was to be minimal damage. Care to explain?"

"I was under the impression that minimal damage is relative."

Reno's easy-going, slightly annoyed voice clashed against Tseng's terse, overly annoyed voice.

"Save it for the reports you'll be writing Reno. And that," He pointed towards the destroyed building and surroundings, "Is what you would call 'minimal' damage?"

"Could be so much worse."

The field commander's jaw clenched and unclenched his jaw and examined a dead body. He nudged it with the toe of his shoe. The body shifted from the movement and limply fell back to position.

"Could be worse? And where's Nernst?"

The careless shrug from Reno was a little strained, but easy-going nonetheless and caused a small twitch in Tseng's eyebrow. The others remained silent and looked straight ahead, avoiding Tsen'gs hard gaze.

"You let him get away?"

A dark shadow passed over Reno's features and the normal bright aqua of his eyes seemed to darken to a deep blue-green. Tseng was not paying attention to Reno as his attention was still on assessing the amount of carnage. Rude became slightly eerie of his partner's sudden shift in mood. Not that he was anticipating anything, but he still felt the need to be ready for anything.

"Sir, if I may? The situation did not permit easy movement. The chaos was more a result of surviving than anything else."

Cissnei spoke succinctly almost as if to keep attention away from Reno and prevent the redhead from saying something stupid. Seeming to follow her lead, Alexander continued an explanation.

"Nernst may be less than stellar, but he is no fool. He ran during the skirmish and is most likely in hiding. Things appeared far more organized than we expected."

"Hn."

Tseng was satisfied with the answer as he shifted his attention back to the Turks. Reno was tense and Rude could tell he was still bothered by something. He was trying to keep it down, but it was still evident to anybody with eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, Rude studied the others as well.

Shanon looked exhausted and running solely on the last bit of adrenaline leftover from the battle. He leaned against his sword and would shift his weight in an agitated manner. To his left was Victoria and she appeared more or less the same except she seemed about ready to fall over where she was standing. However, she kept a stern face on and continually adjusted herself so she was standing somewhat straight. Scott and Steve looked about the same as they arrived, as did Alexander and Cissnei.

"Very well. Steve, Scott. You two will stay here and supervise the clean up crew. The rest of you, head out."

"Sir."

It was a less than energetic affirmation, but at the moment, they were all just relieved to be able to leave. Tseng whipped out his PHS and began talking into it while the others slowly packed themselves into the helicopter. Alexander wasted no time in moving in between Shanon and Victoria so that he was able to whisk Victoria off her feet, much to her embarrassment and Shanon's outcry. Cissnei simply latched onto his arm and guided him while shaking her head at his attempts to glare at Alexander.

Rude and Reno lagged behind the rest. The former was walking slowly but paused when he realized his partner was not following. Reno seemed lost in his own world, which was not anything new, but this one did not appear to be the happy place he normally was.

"Reno."

He spoke softly but sternly. It was enough to snap Reno out of whatever daze he was in and nod his head tiredly.

"Right. Let's go then."

Rude waited for him to catch up with him before walking again. After they made it onto the helicopter, the vehicle slowly hummed to life and began its gradual ascent. Everybody was silent on the way back to headquarters lost in their own thoughts and emotions. As they flew by the vast expanse of Gaia, majority of the Turks were lulled into a sleep. Before he closed his eyes, Rude noticed that Reno was still awake and staring out of the window intently. It became harder and harder to stay awake and hear anything, but as he drifted off, Tseng was talking calmly with Reno who never moved.

That was his last observation before he felt a jolt of the helicopter landing. He slowly straightened and regretted it. Falling asleep in that position caused a crick in his neck that would not go away anytime soon. Twisting his head around in an attempt to loosen the muscles, he noticed Reno with a small smirk on his face.

"Have a good nap, Sleepin' Beauty?"

He grunted at the comment making the smirk grow a little bit. When the helicopter finally landed, Reno slid the door open and jumped out. He landed and immediately began stretching like a cat. The others also jumped out and took a deep breath.

"You're all dismissed and will be contacted later for reports and to file the proper paperwork. Now get some rest."

There was a disjointed set of "sirs" and semi-salutes. Without much more pomp and circumstance, they worked their ways backs to their rooms. However, Alexander and Cissnei remained with Tseng as they were the only ones who were not ready to fall asleep right then and there. Reno led the rest of them to the elevator, down the hallway and into the living quarters. They said half-hearted good nights and went into their respective apartments.

Arriving at the apartment never looked so inviting. Rude made straight for his room, but paused at the doorway. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Reno was standing in the middle of the living room studying the furniture with an odd intensity. Rude raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"It's nothin', just thinkin'. Go to bed or somethin'. Your starin' creeps me out, yo."

Reno smirked and stretched his arms high over his head. Rude waited a few more seconds before his worn out mind and body demanded to be put to bed. Nodding his good night and shutting the door to his room, he walked over to his bed, kicked off his shoes and carelessly tossed his jacket to the floor along with his tie and belt. Not bothering with anything else, he slumped into his bed and somehow managed to squirm his way under the neatly made covers and let himself fall into his soft, comforting pillow.

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**A/N:** And what did we all think? Yeah, Nernst isn't so typical bad guy in many respects, but I like him for what he does and who he is. But now that he's made his appearance, he will show up again, so please, look forward to him showing up and being an idiot once more. As for the others, Alexander and Cissnei are BC Turks. At this point in time, none of the others would be present except these two. During BC, the man with a katana and Cissnei show up later and have been Turks for a while. Actually, by that time, katana guy is a senior Turk officer, so I assume he's been around for a little bit. He has no given name, but the girl with the shuriken received a name for Crisis Core. I'm not creative enough to come up with Cissnei. Okay, I think that would be the only thing that could present any questions, but please, if there are any others or you want more clarification, then don't hesistate to ask or comment. Thanks for reading!


	18. Streaking

**A/N:**So I meant to put out a chapter earlier than this, but unforseen events led to my professors deciding it would be fun to make a bunch of tests and papers due right before and after spring break. Huzzah. But anyways, enough excuses, here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy!

I don't own FF VII

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Darkness. That was his first thought before there was the sound of scraping against material. Rude slowly rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he gradually honed in on the noise. It was coming from the living room. At first, he thought it was morning and time to get up, but after glancing at the clock, that made no sense. It was the early hours of the morning when it was the darkest outside. He knew he did not need to be up and his still tired mind and body demanded more sleep. However, as he was getting comfortable again, a small, yet noisy part of his mind also demanded to know what was causing the noise. There was a brief scuffle before the tiny nagging voice won. With a deep sigh, Rude rolled himself out of bed and had to stand still a few moments to gain his equilibrium and adjust his eyes. While not expecting anything terrible or threatening, Rude pulled the gun from under his pillow and placed it in the band of his pants. 

Opening the door, Rude had to blink his eyes and squint before they adjusted to the light. A small lamp was on and standing a short distance away was Reno. He seemed oblivious to Rude watching him. 

The main couch was in a different position now. Instead of facing straight to the main wall with the television, it was off to the side and running perpendicular. Facing the couch was the arm chair and loveseat with a small table between them. In the middle of the the two sides was their coffee table. Rude idly imagined the new layout far more suiting to entertaining guests than anything else. Letting the thought slip away, he focused his attention on his partner. 

Reno was currently shoving one half of the bookshelves towards the television. Rude supposed it was going to frame the television set as the other part of the bookshelf was already next to it on the other side. Keeping quiet, he continued to watch. Reno finally managed to move it and then stood in front of it. He looked at one side, then the other, and continued this process of looking back and forth until giving a final nod of satisfaction. When he turned around, he finally noticed Rude.

"Oh...uh, how long have ya been there?"

"Not too long."

Rude leaned against eh couch and crossed his arm. Reno fidgeted and glanced around the room.

"Did I wake ya up?"

"Yes."

"...Sorry, I'll stop now. Heh, told ya I did weird things at night."

He clasped his hands behind his back and grinned sheepishly. Rude studied him a bit longer before pushing himself off the couch and heading for his room.

"No problem. Do whatever."

"'Kay, night."

Pausing in the middle of his doorway, Rude looked over his shoulder and watched Reno a few more minutes. He was now pulling out all the book and setting them in small piles. Not that the action of organizing books was interesting, but the person doing the organizing was. Reno placed a few books on the upper shelf then grabbed another small stack and began placing the books on the shelf. However, every so often, he would pause and appear deep in conflicted thoughts. He would pull out a few books, replace them with others, then shake his head and put it back how it was originally. This supposedly simple process became infinitely more complex with Reno. Seeing the familiar pattern, Rude felt it fine to go back to bed. He shut his door pulled out his gun. Making sure the safety was on, he stuffed it under his pillow and flipped onto the mattress. As he lie there, Rude imagined Reno still debating about the books and became increasingly tired. How he could be doing things like that after the mission was beyond Rude and it just made him more ready to sleep. The exhaustion overcame the curiosity of his thoughts and it did not take long for him to fall asleep again. 

When he woke up again, the sunlight was bleeding through the blinds and creating bars of light across his room. He remained in bed, but moved his hand to rub his eyes. Instead of his eyes, Rude felt the edge of a piece of paper. Not bothering to open his eyes, Rude pulled the sticky note from his forehead and sighed. With his other hand, he groped around until he felt the clock. Cracking an eye open, he tilted the alarm clock and checked the time. It was a quarter to noon; one of the latest times he had ever woken up. Setting the clock back in place, Rude finally examined the note.

_Went out for a while. Tell Tseng he can shove it if he want me._

He shook his head at the terse note and crumpled it in his hand. Finally deciding it was too unproductive to stay in bed, Rude pulled himself out of bed and stretched. Glancing around his room, he found it a bit sloppy. The discarded articles of clothing from last night littered the floor. Running a hand over his head, Rude began collecting the various items and putting them in their proper place. After a few minutes of organizing, the dirty clothes were in the hamper and the accessories were put in place. Satisfied that the floor was clear, Rude pulled out a new suit. He hung it on the bathroom door hook and turned on the water to the shower. While it was heating up, Rude pulled off his crumpled uniform and as he was tossing it in the hamper, he could smell stale smoke, the kind of smell reminiscent of a barbecue. He could not help but smirk a bit. 

After spending a decent amount of time in the shower, under the refreshing hot spray, Rude grudgingly turned the water off and dried off. Taking precise care, he put on the suit save for the jacket and tie and after wiping down the mirror, Rude began shaving. With a clean cut appearance, he finished by knotting his tie and zipping his jacket. Rude gave himself his approval to appear proper in public and left his room.

In the kitchen, the coffee maker was already set up to make another pot of coffee. He pushed the 'on' button and as he waited for it to finish brewing, he reached to an overhead cupboard above the sink and opened the door. When he went to grab a mug, his hand grabbed a dishtowel instead. Somewhat confused with this new state of affairs, Rude glanced around the kitchen. Closing the one door, he opened another and was greeted by general appliances. He moved to the next one over, which was right above the coffee maker. Upon opening the door, he was relieved to finally find the cups. By the time he pulled down a mug, the machine beeped, signaling that the brew was ready. Shaking his head, he poured himself a cup and grabbed the newspaper sitting neat and folded on the coffee table in the living room. 

Rude sat on the couch and clicked on the television. He let the soft drone of the newscaster become background noise as he skimmed over the headlines. Sure enough, the front page had a giant picture of the destroyed building form last evening's excursion. By the time the photograph was taken, the scene had been cleared of the bodies and only a single billow of black smoke accented the destruction. Already knowing the story accompanying the photo would be a manipulated, if not fabricated, to hide the real details and make ShinRa appear the hero. As he flipped casually through the pages, he found a different article on the event in which there was a photograph of Heidegger. It made sense since he was the head of the Department of General Affairs Maintenance, but clearly, not all saw him in that light. Scribbled all over the image were pen marks such as demon horns, a pig snout, and various sharp looking arrows sticking out of his bulk. Not even batting an eyelid at the vandalism of his morning paper, Rude just turned over the next page and read up on the sports. 

After reading and finishing the last bit of coffee, Rude folded the newspaper and set it back exactly where he found it. Emptying the cup to the sink, Rude began to look around for breakfast. Recalling the mass of appliances in their new location, Rude opened the cupboard and hoped his assumption of the toaster being classified as a general appliance was correct. Proud of himself, more than he should, the toaster was standing neatly amongst the blender and mixer. Pulling it down, he plugged it in and grabbed the bag of bread sitting at the back of the counter in a basket neatly arranged along with some fruit. He plopped two slices into the machine and pushed the elver. Being careful to put it back how he found the bread, Rude began his search for a plate and knife. His quest for dining utensils led him to a lower cupboard containing paper and plastic ware. He decided it was good enough and pulled out a paper plate and plastic knife. There were too many drawers that he did not feel like going through in search of a knife. 

Now, he began a search for some kind of condiment. At this point in time, Rude would take just about anything to put on his toast. If it came down to it, he would settle for butter, as he imagined it would still be in the refrigerator, but he would prefer something else. Taking a moment to assess the situation, Rude cleared his head and attempted to find a pattern to the new locations. He stood silent in the center of the kitchen and walked over to the cupboard next to the refrigerator. For the second time, in less than a half an hour, Rude felt an unnecessary amount of pride at discovering what he was looking for. There, sitting in all its glory, was a jar of peanut butter. 

By now, the toast was ready and Rude carefully placed the slices on the plate. Then, he liberally smeared the toast with peanut butter and relished in the peanut-y taste of victory. As he finished, he was glad nobody was around and it was impossible to read minds. He found it somewhat embarrassing that he felt so accomplished at figuring out where everything was now located. Dumping the paste and knife in the trash, Rude put the lid back on the peanut butter and placed it back in its location. Rude then went back to the restroom and brushed his teeth. He grabbed his PHS on his way out of his room and stepped out into the hallway.

Nobody was around as Rude walked down the hallway. He went to the elevators and waited for it to reach his floor. The numbers on the elevator gradually ascended. 

"Good afternoon."

Cissnei cheerily came up beside him and smiled.

"I'm impressed you're up and looking ready to go. Reno already headed out though."

"...I got his memo."

Even though he said it with little inflection, Cissnei giggled softly as if she thought he said something funny. Rude was sure he did not mention the little detail about his head being used as a posting board.

They spoke no more as they rode the elevator down a couple of floors and got off. Actually, Rude had no specific destination in mind, He was simply following Cissnei. The floor they got off on seemed like a floor dedicated solely to lounging and eating. It was larger than the Turks' private one and had a lot more traffic coming through. Cissnei looked around, but suddenly brightened when she waved at somebody in the distance. 

"Care to join me and some others?"

"Thanks."

He let Cissnei lead the way to a corner of the lounge that was slightly depressed in relation to the rest of the room. When they got closer, Rude saw Alexander, Trent, and Steve. The three Turks were softly talking with each other when Rude and Cissnei walked up. 

"Look who I found. Poor boy had no idea where he was going."

Rude arched an eyebrow at being called "boy" by somebody in their teens, but remained silent otherwise. Steve reached behind him and pulled over another chair. 

"Take a seat poor boy."

"Shut up."

Steve chuckled as Rude took the offered seat. Cissnei sat to his left with Alexander to her left. Rude was sandwiched between Steve and Trent. Speaking of the latter, Rude almost forgot who he was. That unfortunate event seemed so long ago and he had not sen him since then. Trent looked about the same as before only now, he appeared much more relaxed and at peace than the last time. 

"So, how have you been? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. Good seeing you again."

"Haha. Talkative as always."

He patted Rude heartily on the back and took a sip from his drink. The others were also smiling while Rude remained silent. While sitting, chatting, or enjoying the atmosphere, Rude let the others do their own thing. Meanwhile, he was taking the time to study his surroundings. 

Their corner of the lounge was a part of the open floor plan, but if felt separate from the rest. The tables around them were empty so there were sitting all by themselves. Apparently, nobody really wanted to be near them. A distance away, Rude could see a buffet style food line with a trial of regular and unimportant employees buying food and sitting at tables spread throughout the room. There was only two others sitting in the lower level and were currently chatting with a young man Rude guessed to be the waiter. He figured that sitting in their area was full service while the surrounding space was a quick self serve. Overall, it had a casual atmosphere with varied amounts of flexibility.

"Anyways, where's Reno? Haven't seen him in a while. I was hoping to chat a bit before I left on another mission."

Trent leaned back in his chair and looked questioningly at Rude.

"Out."

"Okay, where?"

"I don't know."

He remembered the note and its unspecific details. The others watched him expectantly for a while making Rude very conscious of himself. Once again, he assured them he had no idea. The others finally let him alone and resumed their usual banter. 

"Figures Reno ran off. Hey, try calling him."

"no good. He said earlier that his PHS was being fixed."

"Broke it again? Does anything _not_ get destroyed when he's around?"

"I'd guess not. Look at the headlines. He definitely had a hand in that."

Trent motioned towards the television screen hanging in the upper corner of the room. There were news reporters and maintenance workers scrambling around the storage area that had been destroyed. Clearly, this was a bit of a big deal if they were still playing it.

"Maybe, but I think his new partner also has a bit of a destructive streak."

Cissnei grinned smugly at Rude who cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. This caused the others to laugh and poke fun at Rude. 

"I guess we better watch out. Rather, Heidegger better get ready. He's going to have his hands full now."

They laughed some more and proceeded to share their distaste for the executive, albeit, in a quieter and more vague manner. As they sat around and enjoyed each other's presence, Alexander's jacket suddenly started ringing. He reached into his jacket and produced a PHS. Everybody quieted down either out of politeness of curiosity. 

"Hello?...Ah, Reno, we were just talking about you...Where are you?...Not my business? Well, that's not very nice...Oh. Why on this planet are you there?...Is that so..."

The sudden solemn expression caused everybody to lean forward in expectation. Alexander pushed his glassed up and made a small understanding grunt.

"Right. Out of curiosity, why not call your partner?...No, he's up. He's right here...Alright, hold on."

Alexander passed his PHS to Rude who put it to his ear.

"_So you're up. I thought you'd still be sleepin' 'cause I kept ya up. Anyways, I'm down by the Don's place and noticed a few things includin' some suspicious people. I suppose I oughtta let somebody know._"

"What about Tseng?"

"_...Hmph. Fine, I probably should have called him first, but whatever...But ya should let the commander know and...uh oh, gotta go!_"

The line went dead and Rude quickly snapped the phone shut, tossed it to Alexander, and stood up.

"I'll go to the commander."

"Cissnei, perhaps you could go with Rude. I'll meet with Reno and hopefully keep destruction and mayhem to a minimum. Steve, Trent, keep read in case."

"Gotcha."

Alexander nodded his head and led Cissnei and Rude out leaving the remaining two at the lounge to cover things. At the elevators, they parted ways. On his way up, Rude double-checked that his PHS was in its normal location in case Reno called again. There was no way for them to contact him. When they reached the office floor, Rude and Cissnei headed straight for Veld's office. Cissnei knocked on the door. 

"Enter."

She opened the door and they both walked in. Veld was at his desk looking over a file with Tseng. He glanced at the two and noted their serious expressions.

"What is it?"

"Reno called. He's at the Don's place and said something strange was happening there. Alexander's on his way already."

Tseng and Veld shared a look before taking action.

"How was he calling? He doesn't have a PHS."

"Pay phone, sir."

Tseng looked incredulously at Rude who just shrugged. He sighed and pulled out his own PHS. He quickly dialed a number. 

"Alexander, I want you to try and get there before Reno moves. Keep him there until we know the full situation."

The commander folded his hands and nodded towards Rude.

"Get down there too. Cissnei, stay here, but be prepared to move. We can't have to many Turks in one place or we'll draw unwanted attention. 

"Roger."

Rude saluted and hurried to the elevators. It took a while to reach the bottom floor and exit the building. He checked his watch and found he had enough time to reach the train to the slums right as it would be leaving. Wasting no time, Rude quickly made his way to the station. Upon arriving, the train was already getting ready to depart and he jumped through the doors as they closed. Some people in the car were startled but quickly turned away from him once they saw the suit. 

He brushed aside the occasional curious glance and stoically waited as the train raced across the sectors and descended to the lower level. It passed through the identification checks with no problem and with efficient use of time, it arrived at the slums of Sector 6. Rude got off and brusquely passed through the crowds ignoring the flashing neon lights and various individuals soliciting his attention. He knew from these sights alone that he was in the right sector to find the most powerful and eccentric of dilettante of the lower levels. Not thinking too hard about any of it though, Rude passed by the Honeybee Inn and made his way to the large mansion towards the back. As he approached, he slowed down a and surveyed the surroundings. There were no distinct noises so he could not imagine Reno having done anything yet. 

"Hey, who are you?"

Rude whipped around to face the voice. It belonged to a young man, probably around Rude's age, with two guns visible in the band of his pants. His hair was one of the features Rude noticed most. One side of his air was pulled back into corn rows while the other side hung forward in wavy clumps. 

"Nobody in particular."

Still not sure about the situation, Rude felt it best to try and keep a low profile. The odd assortment of glowing signs created patches of shadows. Rude hung around in one trying to make his suit less noticeable. 

"Then quit loitering around here. If ya ow the Don something, go through the guys at the Inn."

"Just waiting for a...particular redhead."

Rude was somewhat amused with this person as his personality and mannerisms were so like a certain redhead he knew. The man appeared to be thinking something over before shrugging and smirking. 

"Right, I getcha man. Good luck with that, eh? Just don't hang around here too long. Have fun!"

he waved over his shoulder as he walked off. Rude watched him meet up with another armed man standing closer to the mansion. It would seem the Don kept a fair share of bodyguards around. Rude waited for both of them to walk away before stepping out of the shadows and resuming his search. As he walked around the structure at a safe enough distance, a hand suddenly descended upon his shoulder. Startled that somebody had sneaked up on him, Rude grabbed the hand and spun around twisting the mystery person's arm behind his or her back and grabbing the back of the neck to keep the person from moving.

"An odd way to say hello, but I'm willin' to keep an open mind."

The playful voice identified the person despite the clothing. Rude let go of Reno's arm and studied his partner. Faded jeans, one size too big, hung loosely on his hips, kept in place by a worn out belt while he wore a simple black t-shirt. A grungy brown leather jacket was haphazardly tied around his waist with his usual goggles hanging around his neck. He pushed back some of the red hair with a gloved hand. 

"Glad ya showed up. I saw ya meet with that bodyguard. He's apparently new, but rumros say he packs a punch with those guns."

His partner motioned towards the Don's house.

"Corneo's meetin' with some guys I'm pretty sure are somehow connected to our terrorists. It might be nuthin' but I want to make sure that fat, ugly bastard keeps his ya shut."

"Where's Alexander?"

Reno looked confused at his question. 

"What about 'im?"

"You didn't meet him?"

"...No, was I gonna?"

"Yes."

"Oh...hm, haven't seen him yet. Wait, I got it!"

Rude crossed his arms and watched as his partner ran off. He shook his head before following behind, but at a slower pace. When he reached Reno, he was already talking with the bodyguard he met earlier.

"So yeah. Guy's kinda tall, glasses, scar on one side of his face, probably also runnin' around with a sword."

"Yeah, I saw 'im. Went that way." He nodded his head to the direction but grabbed Reno by the collar before the redhead got away. "It's awfully popular to hand around here today. What's goin' on? I told ya to get yer punk ass outta here."

A small smirk crept along Reno's face as he jerked his shirt away from his grip. Instead of moving away, he turned on his heel and stared the bodyguard straight on.

"Yeah, ya did tell me that, but...yer assumin' I 'd actually listen."

Faster than most could catch, the bodyguard had a gun pointed at Reno's head. However, he was not as confident as he should have been. Reno also had a gun pointed at the bodyguard's face. The only part hat was surprising was that Reno's gun belonged to the bodyguard.

"So whaddya say? Yer fast, but apparently, I'm faster. Who's gonna pull the trigger first?"

He smirked at the bodyguard's discomfort and maintained level eye contact. The atmosphere was broken though when Rude picked Reno up from behind and deposited him to the side. Then, he grabbed the gun from Reno who was still trying to figure out why he was facing a different direction, and handed the weapon back to the bodyguard.

"Sorry."

The bodyguard took the offered gun and studied Rude, or rather, his suit. He paled slightly. He shot a nervous glance towards Reno. He had his arms crossed and huffed.

"Ya always ruin the fun, ya know that?"

He was suddenly grabbed by the bodyguard who whispered in his ear hoarsely. 

"Shut yer mouth, man. This guy's a Turk!"

"No shit."

Reno made muffled protests when the bodyguard's hand clamped over his mouth and apologized to Rude.

"Sorry 'bout that, sir. Just ignore him and let me know if you need anything."

"We always ignore him."

The bodyguard jumped when Alexander walked up. He noticed his suit as well and looked like he was about ready to die. Rude had to feel sorry for him actually. Two intimidating Turks cornering a rookie bodyguard. That had to look bad.

"You are a very difficult person to find."

Alexander pointed towards Reno who managed to pull the bodyguard's hand away from his mouth.

"Not my fault ya can't track jack squat. 'Sides, where are yer manners? Could ya come off any more creepy? The poor guy's scared."

At this point, the bodyguard was white as a corpse as he looked from Reno to the two Turks. He managed to find his voice and keep it steady and even. 

"Hey, we don't want any problems. If you want to talk to the Don, he'll be done shortly. As for this guy...did you want him?"

"Thank you for your cooperation. And he's right, my apologies for sneaking up on you like that. As for him," Alexander pointed at Reno, "you can keep him."

He bowed slightly with a small smile and began walking away. Rude took it as his cue to leave as well. As he was leaving, he looked over his shoulder at Reno and shook his head at his waving. The bodyguard snatched his arm and smiled nervously at Rude while dragging Reno away. In the distance, he could hear them talking. 

"Are you insane! Ya do know who those guys are, right?"

"Hard to miss 'em, yo."

"Then ya know ya shouldn't be shootin' off yer mouth like that!"

Rude could not help but respect the bodyguard. He knew when to stand up and when to back down. Unlike most others he had seen and met down here, this person also appeared to respect life. In addition, he did seem to have a semblance of looking out for others. 

"I guess Reno wants to play...Hm, this might actually be what he wants. What do you think?"

"Definitely. He said the people talking to the Don could be the terrorists."

"I see. Very well, let's go have ourselves a little chat with Corneo."

Alexander strolled along as if he were in a pleasant park, not a cut throat and less than respectable entertainment district. As he approached, Rude saw a couple of guards straighten up and look nervously at each other.

"Good afternoon gentlemen. I'd like to have a word with your boss."

Despite his nonthreatening smile, there was an underlying sense that it would be best to obey him.

"O-of course. Please wait inside, the Don will get with you shortly."

"Thank you."

Rude followed behind and entered the building. They were in a large, dingy foyer. A grand staircase led to the upper floor where ornate double doors must have led to the Don's room. On the ground floor, multiple doors led to various rooms, but only one was particularly noisy. Boisterous laughter and hollering, mingled with the occasional female giggle. Rude had heard of the Don's eccentric penchant for choosing women, but never bothered to look into it.

"Disgusting. Always choosing a new 'bride' and tossing away anything else. Unfortunately, he is a good source."

"Trustworthy?"

"Hardly...But, those are the best kinds in this job."

A non-committal grunt came from Rude who crossed his arms and kept a ready eye out for any trouble. Echoes of talking and laughter were the only noises to be had. At long last, a grunt came scurrying over to them. He came from another door that appeared to lead downstairs. Not really wanting to know what was down there, Rude remained vigilant but detached.

"Ah, sorry for the wait. Would you like anything while you wait? We have all sorts of ways to entertain our guests."

"I'm sure. How long will he be? Is this meeting _that_ important?"

The way Alexander emphasized "that" made the elder grunt cringe but maintain a shaky smile. He wrung his hands together nervously and made a deep bow.

"Yes, well, uh...please have some patience and let me know if you need anything."

Keeping his gaze to the floor, the grunt scurried away towards the double doors leading to the Don.

"Let's see if this get things moving."

For a few painfully long minutes, Rude continued to listen to the loud laughter coming from the other room. He could not imagine what could possibly be so entertaining. When the door to the room swung open, however, Rude understood it all. Reno bounced out along with the bodyguard dragging him along. They were laughing and walked out into the foyer, a short distance from Rude and Alexander.

"Hey, guy's still haven't seen the Don?"

Alexander adjusted his glasses and smiled at him.

"No. But this rat of a fellow skimpered off to tell him we're here."

"That's good. Though ya better be ready 'cause I hear the guy's meetin' with some difficult people, yo."

Reno smirked in a lazy manner and let go of the bodyguard. Alexander shook his head but remained smiling. The grip on his katana tightened just a small bit. The bodyguard smacked Reno upside the head.

"How many times do I gotta tell ya to show some respect to authorities?"

Reno rubbed his head ruefully and stuck his tongue out at him. The response he got was another smack upside the head.

"What's yer problem?1 stop doin' that already!"

"I think I like this fellow. How about you Rude?"

Rude nodded his head once and remained amused at the outraged expression from Reno and the smug grin from the bodyguard. The moment was interrupted, however, by the sound of a gunshot and yelling coming form the room that the grunt came from. 

"Get out of our way! We won't let you scum continue dealing with them!"

The door slammed against the wall as it was flung open. A few people stormed out dragging a pathetic man by his hair. He made nonsensical noises as he tried to get away. They threw him to the floor and pointed a gun at him, completely oblivious to the Turks and the bodyguard. A single gunshot echoed through the foyer. The man on the floor was huddled into a pathetic quivering mass with the man holding the gun lying prone on the floor in a puddle of blood.

"Nice shot!"

Reno patted the bodyguard on the shoulder who had a gun leveled on the group of violent upstarts. It took them a few moments to act. They whipped out their weapons and made to shoot the bodyguard who fired his firearm before they could act. Another fell to a bullet between his eyes and the remaining two were taken down by Alexander and Rude. Reno just stood to the side and cheered them on. After they fell, the front doors were thrown open and another three stormed in. Before they could assess the situation, they were efficiently stopped by three well-placed bullets.

"Now that is impressive."

Alexander softly applauded the bodyguard. He had his second gun out and pointed at the doors while his first gun was still aimed at the three killed previously. He waited for any more movement before holstering his guns with a spinning flourish. 

"What's this all about?..And hey! What do ya think yer doin'!"

The bodyguard yelled at Reno who had made his way to Corneo's room. He picked up a decorative chair and tested its weight by lightly swinging it around. With a cheeky smirk, he stood in front of the doors. Not two seconds later did the door swing open and an unknown man stormed out demanding answers. He never finished the sentence as he was greeted by a swinging chair halfway through the doorway. Reno looked far happier than he should at smacking a person with a chair. The man crumpled to the ground amidst the splinters and pieces of chair.

"I've always wanted to do that!"

The bodyguard sprinted up the stairs and stood next to the mess. As soon as Rude and Alexander came up, another man came out wielding a sharp dagger.

"What the hell do you think you're all doing?...What! Turks! I won't let you live! Down with ShinRa!"

He charged at them but fell dead when the bodyguard simply shot him. 

"Gun beats knife jackass."

"None of you move!"

Everybody stayed in place as a woman pushed Don Corneo through the door with a gun held to his head. Rude found the man repulsive in appearance alone. He was fat and squat with beady eyes sunken into layers of greasy fat folds that would, by reason and logic only, be his cheeks. Balding spots matched the man's greasy little mustache on top of his pudgy lips. He looked at the Turks and the fearful expression he was wearing faded into a smug smirk.

"I have a question for you miss. Why are you getting away with this?"

The woman shifted her attention to her hostage nervously.

"Is it 1: because I'm ready to die; 2: I'm sure of victory; or 3: because I'm clueless?"

The gun barrel was shoved into the side of his head forcefully as the kidnapper slowly moved forward. Neither Rude, Alexander, or the bodyguard so much as twitched. A tiny smirk made its way on her face.

"I pick 3."

"Bzzt! Wrong!"

"What?"

A single gunshot fired through the silent house. Reno was behind her holding his pistol with smug confidence.

"The correct answer is: I have the Turks on my side!"

The woman's shocked expression remained in place as her eyes clouded and glazed over. Her body slid to the ground and lay in a heap. Don Corneo let out a loud and irritating laugh.

"That shows them! Good job with the others!"

He forcefully patted the bodyguard on the back. He managed to mumble a thank you while maintaining a suspicious glare at Reno. Alexander sniffed at the Don, completely ignoring him and walked inside his room. Rude followed close behind leaving the bodyguard alone in the foyer.

"You Turks have good timing. I can't believe she-"

"Cut the crap and spill the beans Fat Man."

Rude watched his partner threateningly poke the Don's pudgy stomach. In turn, Corneo swatted Reno's hand away and backed up nervously. Alexander moved to the side to glare down menacingly while Reno shifted to his other side. 

"N-nothing! They were asking about ShinRa's plans!"

"Like what?"

"Mako and research. They also wanted to know about SOLDIER. I swear, I didn't say a thing! T-that's why they all started attacking like that!"

Sweat poured over his greasy forehead. Reno looked skeptical and motioned for Rude. He happily cracked his knuckles and took a step forward. A pathetic whimper escaped the Don's lips and while he continued to plead and beg, Rude tried to figure out why the floor felt odd when he stepped forward. It had a more hollow sound and had slightly more give than the surrounding area. Rude wondered if the part of the floor opened up. He had to admit that, if there really was a trap door, it was well built. Had he not been trained to be observant, he would have missed it. His suspicions were confirmed as he watched Reno and Alexander always avoid a small portion of the floor.

"So you see? I said nothing, nothing at all! You believe, right?"

"I'll give ya the benefit of the doubt."

Reno looked towards Alexander who nodded.

"Alrighty then. We'll be seein' ya around Don. Keep outta trouble, yeah?"

Corneo vigorously nodded his head and seemed eager to herd the Turks out. Rude and the others stepped out of the room and had the door promptly shut behind them. Glancing around, Rude noticed that the bodies had already been moved. All that remained was a couple of older women finishing up with mops. They walked down the stairs and paused when they heard a scream.

"Hope they don't mess this guy up too much."

Despite protests from the women, Reno marched over to the door where the screams were coming from. Rude recognized it as the door where the terrorists came from. Looking in, there were steps leading down to a basement level that was reminiscent of a dungeon. It was an odd addition to a mansion. Reno bounced down the steps followed closely by Alexander and then Rude. At the bottom level, a man was strapped to a wooden table. He was one Reno hit with a chair. Blood oozed from the injury on his head and there was visible bruising forming around his neck. A creepy and squat man with a hot poker like item.

"So who are you working for? Heehee! If you just tell me, I'll let you go!"

He spoke to the man in a coaxing manner while merrily sticking the poker back into a small fire he built in the corner of the room.

"I'm not going to talk!"

"I don't think he's gonna talk."

The man looked up from what he was doing to look at Reno. He stayed silent but shifted his gaze to Alexander and Rude.

"Oh, sirs, what an honor. Please, don't worry. I'll get it out of him, heehee!"

He shuffled nervously in place while the three Turks walked over to the man tied to the table. He was pale from the blood loss and the recent torture. His eyes were clouded by pain. 

"Yeah, but you're too slow. Hey fella, ya hate me, I hate you. Let's keep this simple and tell me what I want to know."

"I'll tell you nothing."

The voice was now hoarse and bespoke an intense stubbornness. Reno shrugged and sighed.

"Fine. Hey, Alexander, want to handle this one?"

"Sure. It's been a while though. Let's see how this works out."

Reno tugged on Rude's sleeve to get him to move. They left the room as Alexander unsheathed his sword. Shutting the door behind them, Reno and Rude walked across the foyer to step outside. Leaning against the outside wall was the bodyguard.

"Got kicked outside, eh?"

"I'm just a grunt."

There was an awkward silence hanging around them. The bodyguard appeared to be debating something within himself. Reno impatiently crossed his arms.

"Don't tell me a little bit of blood and yer too shocked?"

"Oh no. I could care less about those fools...I mean...why the hell didn't ya say anything!"

"Um, about what?"

He pushed off the wall and jabbed a finger at Rude.

"Yer a Turk! What are ya doin' runnin' around here lookin' like that! I've been dragging around, hitting, and patronizin' a Turk!"

Now he appeared to be lamenting to himself much to Reno's amusement. 

"Don't worry. We do all those things to him all the time."

The door to the mansion opened and closed as Alexander slipped out. The bodyguard still seemed unsure of everything. Then again, Rude remembered that he was new to the scene and was probably not used to these things. Still though, it was not like Rude was accustomed to it, but he had known Reno long enough to just accept things.

"Sheesh. What are people sayin' about us to make 'em so scared? I mean, other cities ain't this nervous around us."

"It's probably due to ShinRa's location. Being located in Midgar, it has the most influence. That amount of control can breed fear."

Alexander adjusted his glasses and pulled out his PHS. He hit the quick dial and held it to his ear.

"Sir, Corneo met with our mysterious terrorists but said nothing...Yes, I'm sure...Yes. Besides, we killed most of them before too long...One survivor, or rather, was a survivor. I've extracted all the information and we will return shortly...yes sir."

Hanging up his PHS, Alexander tucked it away in his jacket and looked over at Reno and rude.

"I decided it would be inconvenient to drag him away and perhaps too cruel to leave him with that...man."

Rude had to agree. The Don's interrogator seemed more interested in inflicting pain more than extracting answers. The sooner they left the place, the better. Reno just shrugged at his comment an pulled something out of his back pocket. He handed a business card to the bodyguard.

"Here ya go. Ya ever get sick of this place, come on by, it'd be a lot of fun with ya around."

"Uh, right...Thanks."

"Sure thing! But don't loose that...it's probably one of the few I haven't lost."

"Or used for not so admirable purposes."

Alexander grinned smugly at Reno who huffed and passed the card to the bodyguard who took it and looked it over. After a cursory glance, he tucked it into a back pocket. He looked Reno over again.

"Hey, so, uh, why aren't ya wearin' a uniform like these two?"

Reno looked himself over.

"I didn't feel like lookin' like a Turk, but I forgot to change before I got here. So, I found a guy and gave him some gil for 'em."

The edges of the jacket were disdainfully lifted up by Alexander's sheathe.

"So this man just upped and gave you his clothes? Charming."

"Hey now, this is all designer shit, believe it or not. Apparently, it's also brand new. Young guy I found at a bar. One of those rich boys not quite sure where they are, but imagine that they do."

Rude grabbed the back of his shirt and checked the tag. Sure enough, a high-end designer's name was on the tag. How such ratty looking clothes could be considered fashionable was beyond Rude's comprehension. Then again, he was never one who concerned himself with such things. 

"Where's your suit then?"

"Trashed it."

"Where is this fellow now?"

Before Reno could answer Rude, a young man streaked by them hooting and hollering.

"Whoo-hoo, party!"

Alexander, Rude, and the bodyguard stared silently at Reno who shrugged.

"He still had boxers last time I saw 'im."

"Great. Way to make my job difficult. Keep out of trouble, right?"

The bodyguard waved over his shoulder as he took off after the drunken streaker. The three Turks watched that direction for a few minutes before Alexander and Rude stared expectantly at Reno.

"What? How was I supposed to know he'd start streakin'?...Besides, at least I have the decency to wait 'til four before getting' plastered."

He shrugged carelessly before walking away from the neon lights and towards the station. Rude sighed and followed close behind. Alexander though, stayed where he was and smiled when Reno and Rude looked back.

"You two go along. I'm going to look into a few things."

"Whatever."

Reno seemed completely uncaring and just kept walking. Rude followed behind his partner not really eager to do much else other than do nothing. If he would have had it his way, he would still be back at headquarters doing nothing but attempting to figure out where everything was now located in the apartment. 

The walked silently back to the station and waited patiently for the train. When the time for the train to arrive came, they train was promptly in place allowing the exchange of passengers. Rude and Reno slipped onto the train and rode in relative silence. Though he was oddly quiet, Reno seemed content with it. After a short while, the train stopped a short distance from headquarters. The station was bustling like it usually was and the crowds did not fade away until they reached ShinRa. Only a few occasional people passed through the entrance. Reno and Rude passed through the entrance, by passing the casual employees and stepped into the elevator. When the doors to the elevator opened again, Tseng was standing right outside preparing to walk in. Upon seeing Reno and Rude, he changed his mind. With a reproving stare, Tseng measured up Reno's outfit.

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably better if ya didn't."

Reno flashed him a smirk before slipping past and sauntering off towards the apartment. Rude, however, remained in place as Tseng appeared to be expecting something.

"I'll get it from him later. What happened?"

They stepped off to the side and Rude explained what had happened as best he could. After ending with Alexander choosing to snoop around, Tseng nodded his head.

"Thank you. Good work."

Rude saluted and walked off opposite of Tseng. Not feeling particularly energetic but not completely tired, Rude debated about what he wanted to do. In the end, he decided to go to the training room. His plan was either to wake up more or go to sleep. He was not picky so long as he was not in some sort of energy limbo.

When he arrived at the training room, Steve looked up from the stranglehold he was in by Cissnei.

"Hey, how'd it go?"

"Fine."

He was going to ask for more information, but Cissnei cut him off by twisting with force and flipping him. Letting go, Steve was flung to the ground with a loud fit of coughing. Cissnei wiped her hands and smiled.

"We can read the report later. By the way, did Reno come back with you?"

"Yes."

She smiled.

"Good. So, are you looking for a fight? I'll try my hand at it if you'd like."

Steve picked himself of the ground and massaged his neck. 

"Careful what you're getting into. She packs a punch for somebody so small."

Rude nodded his head and walked over to Cissnei. He took a defensive stance as Cissnei took an offensive one. Steve scrambled out of the way and stood next to Trent who was off to the side lifting weights, but stopped when Rude and Cissnei moved.

As he suspected, Cissnei was quick. Also, she was small so he had to deal with a tiny, rapid moving object. Needless to say, Rude felt large and slow. However, the recent trend in his life often pitted him against such opponents so he was a bit more prepared than the first times. The difference between their sizes was often to his disadvantage, but with some work, he could use it to his advantage.

Cissnei immediately ran forward, but Rude surprised her by moving backwards at the same time. He needed only take larger steps back. As he did, he forced Cissnei to adjust her mode of attack. With a bend in her knees, she leaped into the air. Rude dug into the floor with his feet and brought up his fist in an uppercut. She responded with a kick and the two connected. Rude swung his other fist around pivoting in an attempt to swipe his opponent mid-air. Not about to let that happen, Cissnei let herself drop to the ground, dodging the punch and springing off her hands to stand a short distance away.

"You're good, but I see what you're doing. Alright. Let's go again!"

They were about to charge each other again when the door flung open and slammed shut. Reno bounded past Rude and Cissnei and looked around frantically. Everybody watched him criously. He grabbed Trent and forced him to stand up. Then, Reno spun him around to face the front and stood behind him, disappearing behind the bulky frame. As soon as he did, the door swung open with great force and Heidegger stormed in.

"Where is he? I know he's in here."

The department head scanned the room and began walking around. He eyed Rude who shrugged and remained where was standing. As he approached Trent, he paused and studied him before moving again. When he was getting read to walk past and behind Trent, the Turk awkwardly moved so he was still facing Heidegger. It did not take a trained eye to notice Trent's odd movement. Heidegger stared at him suspiciously. Paling slightly, Trent rotated his right arm at the shoulder.

"I pulled some muscles...working out..."

Heidegger seemed skeptical of the lame answer but walked to the door nonetheless.

"I don't buy that completely...I have a meeting now, but be sure I'll be back."

He slammed the door shut behind him. When they could no longer hear footsteps, Reno stepped out from behind Trent and sighed. He was back in his uniform and scratching the back of his head questioningly. 

"I don't know why he's after right now. I haven't done anything!"

"Really now? I'm pretty sure blasting a building to pieces qualifies as something."

A cheerful voice answered Reno causing the Turks in the room to see who had joined them. Reno smirked and crossed his arms.

"First off, it wasn't me. Second, whatcha doin' here and who asked for your opinion, Fair?"

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**A/N:** And there you have it. It's a pain to write spoken speech esepcially when it's as sloppy as Reno and the bodyguard. Speaking of which, if you didn't know, the bodyguard is actually one of the BC Turks. He uses two guns and used to be a bodyguard for Corneo. So I'm staying true to my word and putting in random cameos. Along the lines of cameos, I suppose you all know who just decided to show up, right? A surprising amount of people wanted his appearance so here it is. Well, the beginning anyways. Whatever the case, keep looking forward to more character appearances. With that, I bid you adieu and thank you for taking time to read and review! Happy random point in the week that has no national importance day!


	19. Boat

**A/N:** Here's another chapter for your enjoyment. This is a pretty quick update for me. Anyways, hope you all enjoy the brief little cameos. It's just a little chapter to set up for the next exciting escapade starring our two favorite Turks. Please enjoy!

I don't own FFVII

* * *

"What kind of greeting is that? Aren't you glad to see me?"

Zack Fair leaned forward and mockingly pouted at Reno. He was a cheerful, good-natured person, not at all what Rude would have expected out of SOLDIER. He stood tall and Rude could tell he was strong and well built. His hair was also something of a fascination with Rude. It was a pale black and pushed back. It reached his shoulders, but whether it was from the way it was cut or simply how it was, it was spiky and a single chunk of hair hung over his face. Rude wondered how he could tolerate it. Everything was simpler bald.

"Shouldn't ya be trailin' Angeal or the General or somebody rather than buggin' me?"

"I'm hurt Reno. And speaking of the General, he's back and wandering around here."

He nonchalantly waved his hand as he walked over to Rude. Pausing when he was a short distance away, Zack looked him over and grinned broadly.

"Don't tell me this respectable looking guy is the one who demolished that building _and_ is your partner?"

"Yes, he single-handedly brought it down and yes, he's my partner. Believe it or not, but I think he's got a destructive streak to match mine."

Zack stared incredulously at Reno but was still grinning ear to ear. He shook his head at the less than polite gesture he was given and turned his attention towards Rude.

"No. I think you're just a bad influence on people. Anyways, the names Zack Fair, SOLDIER, first class."

Sticking his hand out, Rude took it and was immediately drawn into an excited and hearty handshake. When he finally let go, Rude straightened his jacket sleeve and nodded his head.

"Rude."

"The quiet, stoic type, huh?"

"Quite unlike two certain people I know."

A deep, but soft voice silenced the room. A tall and imposing figure stood at the doorway looking unamused at Zack and Reno. The latter two glanced at each other and then stared blankly at the man. Reno then smirked and merrily pointed at Zack.

"Hi General! I really don't know what you're talking about. Surely you're only referring to this guy."

"Hey! I can be quiet and stoic too!"

The man at the doorway shook his head causing the length of silver hair to swish lightly back and forth. He leveled his weapon at Zack. His sword was the longest single-edged blade Rude had ever seen. Combined with the man's arm length, the sheathed sword was only a few inches away from Zack's face.

"You've yet to prove it."

Reno snickered and crossed his arms in amusement. Zack shot him a sour glare while sheepishly bowing his head at the general.

"Enough games. You can play with the Turks later. Excuse the interruption."

He lightly bowed towards Rude who just nodded dumbly. Zack followed behind obediently but left everybody with a cheerful grin. As they left the room, particularly when the general left, the atmosphere seemed to lighten considerably.

"A happy freak and kill-joy."

"I heard that!"

Zack's voice echoed down the hallway. Reno smirked and yelled back.

"Good for you! Guess you're not as dumb as ya look!"

Rude was anticipating another yell, but instead, he heard a softer but somewhat annoyed voice telling Zack to shut up. This appeared to amuse Reno who chuckled. So caught up in the previous meeting, nobody seemed to notice Tseng enter the room.

"Heidegger is looking for you."

Reno blanched at the name and shrugged defensively.

"So what's new?"

Tseng softly sighed and pulled out a PHS. With a flick of his wrist he tossed the mobile device at Reno. He examined the PHS, opening and closing it, and pressing some buttons.

"It feels different."

"Reeve fixed it and made some updates. Don't break this one."

"Who, me?"

He grinned cheekily at Tseng who frowned and softly sighed. Looking at his watch in a hurried manner, Tseng looked up at Rude.

"Are you up for a quick mission?"

"It's never a quick mission."

Both Turks ignored Reno. Rude nodded and accepted the folder Tseng held out to him. He quickly leafed through the few profiles inside. Reno walked over and looked at the folder next to Rude.

"Killin' or catchin'?"

"Catching. Rude needs to learn how to hunt. Leave now. You'll take a chopper to Junon and take the usual to Costa Del Sol and escort our guests back here. Questions?"

"So these guys just runnin' around or they at the club?"

"Where do you think?"

"Sounds fun."

Reno grinned and waltzed across the room. He paused when he reached the door and glanced over his shoulder.

"I'll get the chopper ready. Come on up when you're ready."

He left the room leaving the rest behind. Tseng made a soft thinking noise before shaking his head.

"Any questions? Reno should be able to fill you in on anything that would come up...By the way," He paused causing Rude to look questioningly at him, "Did you two remodel your apartment last night? When I went to talk to Reno, the room was different..."

"Aw, is Rude a closet interior decorator?"

Scott grinned smugly at Rude who rolled his eyes.

"Reno did it when we got back last night."

"Looks nice."

A int of amusement laced his voice as he walked out of the room and down the hall. Rude closed the folder and nodded his head good-bye to the other Turks.

"Hope you're up for a good fight. Have fun!"

Cissnei happily waved and was mimicked by Steve behind her. In response, she lashed out with a quick back kick to his shin. Rude left the room to the sound of Steve begging for mercy. Growing accustomed to the less than average conversations, Rude paid no heed to them as he made his way back to his room. When he arrived, he went to his room and opened the dresser drawer. He pulled out a fire materia, the same on from last night's mission, and tucked in into his inner jacket pocket. While he was putting it away, he double-checked to make sure his weapon was handy. Satisfied with his equipment, Rude left his room and apartment and went to the elevators. When he stepped in, he was surprised to see Heidegger taking up more than enough room inside. However, he kept his surprise to himself and stepped into the cart.

"I hear you're going out looking for new SOLDIER recruits."

Rude nodded politely in the affirmative.

"Gya ha ha! Good! That's the kind of job you're supposed to do. Make sure you get it right. MY SOLDIER are the true might behind ShinRa. You Turks are only good at being mongrels. Gya ha ha!"

He repressed the urge to punch Heidegger's face in. Rude had no idea why the man was so adamant about SOLDIER and had an apparent grudge against the Turks. He was glad the ride was short and joyfully exited the elevator. They were now in the hangar. Heidegger looked around and then marched over to a helicopter with purpose in his stride. Reno was half way in the helicopter pushing a few buttons and paused what he was doing to listen to Heidegger yell and/or lecture him. Not really wanting to hear the man speak, Rude hung back and listened to the various noises in the background. Despite all the hustle and bustle of mechanical parts, Rude was still able to pick up on Heidegger's laugh. He was impressed with his partner's reaction. He had expected Reno to do or say something, but he just sat passively and nodded his head once and a while and accepted whatever it was he was handed. Heidegger seemed satisfied with this response and left.

When he was gone, Rude walked over to Reno who was still sitting casually sideways in the pilot seat. There was a gradual expression of amusement on Reno's face as he chewed on something slowly and deliberately. Rude came up beside him and suppressed a smirk when he saw small earpieces in Reno's ear attached to a music player discreetly hidden in his pocket. His partner reached up and pulled out the headphones with a smirk.

"Hope he didn't say anything too important."

He blew a bubble and sicked it in with a loud pop.

"So ya ready? We're headin' off to Junon then hoppin' on a boat to Costa Del Sol. Sound good?"

Rude nodded and walked around the helicopter to sit in the co-pilot's seat. As Reno was putting on the headsets, a mechanic came running up with a clipboard. While Rude was adjusting his own headset, Reno grabbed the piece of paper the mechanic offered. After a quick glance at it, Rude reasoned it was some sort of official paperwork to sign in order to take off. In response to the paper's instructions, Reno spit the gum he was chewing onto the sheet and crumpled it up into a wad. Without so much as a second glance, Reno carelessly tossed it out of the helicopter where it was caught by the mechanic who sighed in defeat and ran to get out of the way as Reno started up the engine. The blades slowly sped up until they were a circular blur and lifted off.

Even though he had taken a flight previously with Reno piloting, Rude was still somewhat unsure as his partner disregarded enough things at their work to merit his uncertainty. However, he had yet to hear of Reno crashing and said individual did seem more than comfortable with flying. Therefore, Rude just let it go and waited patiently for them to arrive.

"Hey, guess what?"

Reno spoke excitedly through the headset. Rude kept staring at the window but gave the affirmative for him to continue.

"Did you know you can get a gold chocobo by breedin' a black and wonderful one together?"

As fascinating and illogical as that fact was, Rude was more interested in where it all came from. He glanced sideways at Reno with a cocked eyebrow.

"I was listenin' to this station that talks about like monsters, their habits and yeah, well, ya get the picture. Anyways, they were don' a special on chocobos and explainin' how ya get different ones. I think they were workin' with that Monster Planet channel. It totally beat out listenin' to Heidegger."

Rude rolled his eyes and turned his attention to out the window. His partner's voice chattered on about one thing or another or nothing at all. It blended into the soft sound of the whirring helicopter blades. The land below him was bleak and brown with some scattered vegetation here and there. Rude paid no attention to what Reno was saying but just agreed every once and a while.

"Don't ya think so?"

"Yeah."

"Good. So when we get there, I'll find a chocobo, tonberry, cactuar, and strawberry jam. It'll be great."

And there was the downside to ignoring Reno. Rude had no idea what he wanted to do with those items, but he felt that if he let Reno do it, they would get into a lot of trouble. Reno kept his eyes forward but smirked.

"Just made that up. I was actually talkin' about the recent events...but come to think of it, that would be a fun time."

"Please don't."

"Haha. But now that I've got your attention, do ya think this will all work out?"

"Yes."

Reno glanced at him sideways and kept smirking.

"That was quick."

Rude looked at Reno and crossed his arms authoritatively.

"Everything works out...just that simple."

"Just that simple, huh?...Well, works for me. Oh hey, we're here."

The helicopter gradually slowed to a hover and Reno began talking with air control. After a few identification checks, the helicopter was landed and the engines were turned off. Rude ducked under the blades and followed Reno away from the landing strip towards the docks. The heavy smell of smoke and oil pervaded the air until they reached the main docks.

"Hm, let's see, what pier?"

"Four."

"Huh. Same one."

Reno mumbled to himself as he followed the main wharf down a ways. Rude followed silently and wondered what was the same one. However, as they went past each successive dock, Rude began to recognize the surroundings. When they arrived, he knew why. It was the same section where three Turks were killed and one went missing. The area gave no indication that a struggle ever took place. Various boxes, some full and others empty, were stacked against the dock's warehouse. The building itself looked exactly like any other seaside warehouse.

"Hey, c'mon! I want to get goin'!"

Reno waved at him from down the pier. He was halfway up the ramp leading to the deck of the boat. Rude nodded his head once and walked towards him. After making sure he was coming, Reno went on the boat and disappeared into the cabin. Finally making it on the boat, a couple of crewmen yelled out the clear and he could feel the boat start up and begin to move. Grabbing a side rail, Rude waited for the boat to gain its momentum and become steady. When he was able to maintain a steady footing, Rude went to the cabin to see where Reno went to.

Traveling down a short flight of stairs, Rude found himself in a fairly spacious room that he would describe as storage. To his left, there was a section defined by some mechanical device running along each side of the wall and across the floor. It reminded Rude of a holding pen of some sort.

"Oh yeah, this is for our invited guests. More often than not, they're not very happy or agreeable."

Reno walked over to a panel on a nearby wall and pushed a button. There was a soft buzzing noise before an electric field created a partition. So it really was a pen.

"Nifty, ain't it? Room are back that way. It's kind of a boring ride."

He pressed the button again to shut the barrier off.

"Actually, I'm already bored."

With that, he bounced up the stairs and went on the deck. Rude remained silent, processed that last statement and immediately went after his partner. Reno was at the bow of the ship leaning forward on the rail. Rude walked over to him and leaned back against the rail as well.

"I wonder what's down there? It would be so cool if a giant sea monster sprang up and attacked!"

"..."

"You don't think that'd rock?"

"..."

"You're no fun."

He stuck his tongue out at Rude who just shrugged. An easy silence fell over them. Reno continued to stare at the white spray of water on top of the wakes while Rude stared at the sky. The farther they got from Junon, the brighter the sky and clearer the water became. He recalled a time when he was a child and his family took a vacation to Costa Del Sol. Those were good times and memories. He saw Reno move away out of the corner of his eye. He reasoned that his partner couldn't do much considering he would be stranded at sea too should anything happen. Thus, he let Reno alone to his own devices. Rude settled on enjoying the calm breeze while he could. When they arrived at their destination, he knew things would get busy.

"Hey, hey, it's another boat!...Um...Hey, Rude?"

Rude still had his back to the sea as he looked expectantly at Reno who was a little ways away and pointing. He did not know what was so interesting. Fishing boats would be common as they approached the coast.

"Don't give me that look...but, uh, this might sound stupid but, should it be comin' straight at us?"

He continued to point curiously ahead of him. Rude slowly looked over his shoulder hoping to delay what he knew was going to inevitably happen. Another boat, smaller than theirs, was speeding towards them. He squinted to get a better idea of who was on the boat and saw less than friendly faces screaming something.

"...Dammit..."

Reaching into his jacket, Rude pulled out his gun.

"Heh...It's like a kamikaze boat...Think they'll stop?"

Rude frowned. He heard about the kamikaze during the Wutai War. He would be infinitely happier if it was not the case. As it came closer, the boat crew were yelling commands and growing more stressed. By now, Rude could make out the people on the oncoming boat clearly. Their own boat suddenly swerved causing Rude to clutch the rail and sending Reno rolling across the deck.

"Whoa!"

They missed the other boat by a hair's breadth. However, the attacking boat swerved around and attempted to pull up next to them. As they did, a series of gunshots fired. Reno was still sprawled out against the railing along the stern and some miscellaneous cargo, but nevertheless, continued to fire his weapon. It was enough to cause the other boat to drop back behind. "I wonder how they come up with these things?..Aw well, least it ain't boring anymore!"

Rude shot him an annoyed glare. His partner shrugged defensively but kept up his smirk.

"What? I told ya before, I'm an optimist. Might as well look at it the best way possible."

With that, Reno sprang up and ran from side to side trying to keep the other boat from moving around.

"Comin' your way!"

Rude turned to the side and began firing at the boat as it approached. The unstable surface and the speed of the other boat made it impossible to aim, but by some form of chance, Rude managed to take one out. It swerved out of control a little bit before dropping behind the boat again.

"Slow down!"

He yelled at a nearby crewman who looked nervous and unsure. With a sharp glare from Rude, he scurried away yelling out the order to the captain. It was risky, Rude knew that, but catching a glimpse of the coastline, he also knew it needed to end. There were more gunshots and slowly, he felt the boat begin to slow. In response, the other boat adjusted their speed to keep from losing control. As the boat circled their slowing one, the people on the enemy ship continued to pepper the ship with gunfire. Rude and the others had to keep ducking behind whatever cover they could find.

"Good call partner!"

Rude looked up from where he was hiding and saw Reno running towards him. Next to him was the other boat drawing up close beside. He quickly turned to his left, leaped off the rail and landed in the other boat. That was not quite what Rude was planning on happening when he ordered the boat to slow down.

He stood up and watched as the boat looked as if it were trying to maintain control. Reno resorted to close combat techniques and everybody on the boat seemed to be struggling with the small space. However, it took only a large bolt of lightening to floor everybody. With nobody steering the boat, it began to spin around out of control. Reno scrambled for the wheel and more or less tripped onto it. He grabbed it and slowed the boat down to a stop.

"'Kay...Why am I seein' two of ya?"

Reno stumbled around as he tried to regain his balance. He shook his head a few times before he walked straight. It did not take long for the boat to be confiscated and the attackers who were still breathing were locked into the pen in the lower level.

"So, that was fun...but I kinda hope it doesn't happen on the way back."

Rude agreed with him and was glad when they were able to get off the boat and on to solid ground. When on dry land, Reno gave the captain some orders before looking around.

"C'mon, this way."

He walked up the pier to reach the main streets. Rude followed closely behind to make sure he did not lose sight of his partner who was meandering skillfully through the large crowds. Rude tried to be polite as he sidestepped other pedestrians, but the small space and his large build made it difficult. There was no time to admire the scenery such as the pale blue sky, cool breeze, or turquoise water. Rude was intent on keeping his eye on the mass of red hair making a beeline for a nearby bar.

There was no short supply of bars for visitors to spend their money. However, Reno chose one of the less respectable looking ones. True to its dingy and questionable outside, the patrons perfectly matched on the inside. Rude received a few sideway glances but for the most part, ignored. Looking around, he found Reno leaning against the bar counter talking with the bartender. When he approached, Reno handed him a beer.

"Alright, we're good to go. The club will be open in an hour or so."

He offered no more information as he pulled up a stool and sat on it as he drank his beer. Rude just decided to go with it and sat next to his partner. As they lounged at the bar, Rude took time to take in the surroundings. The other patrons generally kept to themselves. They were the sort who came to a bar, not to socialize, but to drown themselves in cheap alcohol. While many of the other places were filled with tourists of some kind, this bar had nobody but the serious drinker.

"I'm tellin' ya! I used ta be da bes!"

"Shut yer trap. Nobody wants ta hear ya again!"

"Says who? C'mon..._hic_...Wanna make sumthin' of it?"

Reno looked over his shoulder at the sudden racket at the center of the room. Two very angry and very drunk men were posturing and insulting the other. It was fairly amusing since nobody had any idea what they were talking about, only that they were growing angrier by the second. The bartender kept about his work but kept a wary eye on his patrons. By now, the other patrons were interested in the heated argument and began to gather around. Rude chanced a glance at his partner who had a mischievous smirk on his face. He was facing the fight while resting his elbows and back on the counter.

"Hmm...I wonder..."

Rude rolled his eyes. He knew that something was going to happen now that Reno decided to get involved. Reno continued to lean back against the counter but extended one leg so as to draw a chair closer. When he was able to hook his foot through the space between the seat and the back, he swung his leg full force sending the chair flying. The piece of furniture landed near the crowd of drunkards. It hit nothing and nobody, but all of a sudden, there was a silence of about two seconds before somebody threw a punch and an all out brawl ensued.

"So it is true."

Reno was watching the fight with great amusement while Rude just polished off the beer and grabbed his partner by the back of his jacket collar. After dragging him away before he joined in the fight, he let go and shook his head at Reno who was still smirking.

"What? Just getting' into the spirit of things."

"Spirit?"

"Yup, spirit. C'mon, I bet they're getting' ready to start."

Without much of a warning, Reno bounced off to another area. Rude sighed to himself as he took after his partner once more. When he caught up with him, rude was standing outside a larger building with muffled noises of yelling and cheering coming from beyond the rusted metal door. Reno motioned for Rude to come closer before knocking on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Yer mom."

Reno's light sarcastic tone contrasted sharply with the deep, gruff voice from behind the door. With a loud moan and creak, the door slowly opened and a large figure blocked the doorway. His muscle bulk filled the entire entranceway as he glared downward at Reno.

"What do _you_ people want?"

"Take a wild guess."

"You know the rules."

"Yeah, and stop lookin' at me like that. He's the one who's goin' to be doin' it."

He pointed at Rude and the man turned his glare to him. Unlike with his partner, Rude was able to make level eye contact. They remained like that for a while until Reno piped in.

"'Kay, testosterone levels a little bit too high...and holy crap I feel small next to ya guys. Whatever. Move it inside people."

The man at the door shot Reno an evil glare before nodding his head once and leading the two Turks inside. They walked single file with Reno in the middle and Rude following behind. The man leading them took a seat in a nearby chair and motioned to the are further down the hall. While they were walking along, Reno suddenly stopped and smirked over his shoulder.

"Have fun! I'll be rootin' for ya!"

Before Rude could register what was being said, Reno leaped to the side and two men were charging at Rude.

"If ya wanna get through, ya gotta fight us first!"

"...Dammit..."

Rude dodged a punch at his head ad blocked the kick aimed at his chest. It took a couple of moments before he adjusted the location. When he did however, he wasted no time in grabbing one man's wrist and jerking backwards so the man was flipped onto his back. He brought his foot down on the man's chest hard so that all the breath was knocked out of him and he passed out. The other man fell just as quickly with a swift uppercut.

"Way to go! Let's keep goin'."

He made an annoyed grunt but followed his partner anyways. Just as he though, other fighters came at him and each one fell with relative ease. At first, he was frustrated with the situation he was suddenly thrust into, but as more people came, and the more he got to just relax and punch some faces in, the more he began to enjoy himself. Five unconscious fighters later, Rude made significant progress and now stood at the edge of a large crowd cheering, screaming, and being the representation of chaos.

"Welcome to the club!"

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** Did you enjoy it? I hope so. As you can see, it's one of my shorter chapters, but I felt it needed to be broken up from the next chapter. Let me know what you think or if you'd like to see something happen. That all said, please look forward to the next chapter. Thanks for reading!


	20. Detective

**A/N:** So it's been a while. School is a pain, and even though I've been done for a little while, Ijust haven't had any time. Finally, at long last, I managed to type out another chapter. So here it is. There seems to have been some questions about the previous chapter. This one should clear things up a bit. Anyways, there is a bit of swearing in this one, but really, that's all I have to warn about. Please enjoy!

I don't own FFVII.

* * *

And what a welcome it was. Reno jerked his thumb towards the center of the crowd. A square, raised platform was encircled by the crowd whose cheering and general screaming blended together in the large room. It was as underground fighting as it came. If this was where Heidegger found most of SOLDIER, Rude understood why he would need to rely on the Turks and their habit of doing the dirty work.

"'Kay, all ya gotta do is kick all their asses. Leave the rest to me."

Reno patted him on the shoulder and shoved him towards the stage. People in the crowd cheered him on or jeered at the newcomer. Either way, his arrival made quite a stir. As he approached, he saw two large fighters in the ring. The larger of the two was attempting to grapple the other, but the smaller man made that difficult. While not little by any standard person's point of view, he was a bit shorter than his opponent who was a giant. After sidestepping each other for a while, the smaller man suddenly lunged forward with a hard punch to the solar plexus causing the larger to clutch his stomach and stagger. It was enough time for him to finish the giant off with a quick left-right combination. Rude approved of this man's technique.

"The winner is Morris!"

The crowd went wild and increased the noise. The man walked off the stage and to a back room that Rude guessed was a type of locker or waiting area. Before he could pursue that mundane train of thought, Reno stumbled into him.

"Whoa!...Sheesh, these people are packed in. Oh hey, you're gonna have to do that. Ya go through a bunch of little guys to narrow things down."

He crossed his arms and smirked up at Rude.

"So, as long as you're doin' the ass kickin', you'll go up against that guy and then, ya get to take down the king. Have fun!"

Rude was unable to respond before Reno shoved him into the side of the ring. This was enough to get the people's attention. They began cheering and chanting the name of their current favorite as Rude pulled himself up on to the stage. Another person joined him on the stage and was reveling in the attention. He paraded around the ring making obscene gestures towards Rude who remained unimpressed and crossed his arms. He was increasingly more annoyed with the man's gaudy appearance. Large metallic objects adorned his body and the boxer shorts he was wearing were a shimmering gold. Bright yellow boots and horrible dyed silver hair finished off the shiny appearance. Rude caught sight of Reno out of the corner of his eye. His partner was staring unblinking at the man with an expression conveying his shock, amusement, and sick fascination. There was only so much of this he could take. When his opponent approached him and began yelling in his face, Rude sucker punched his opponent, dropping him like a rock. He resumed his arms crossed, unamused stance. People were silent for a fraction of a second before resuming their cheering roars.

Two men scurried on to the stage to drag the body away and the next fights came up. Though fortunately more subtle than the first, Rude's opponent was taken out just as fast. Then, in a somewhat interesting turn for Rude, a pair of twins took to the stage. Even though one was a female, she was huge. She was the same size as her brother and both looked like a formidable foe of muscle.

"Knock 'em out nice and good now!"

Somehow, over the din, Rude made out Reno's distinct voice. Now, they were getting somewhere. It was time to get to work. Rude uncrossed his arms and took an offensive stance. Keeping his feet a little bit apart and knees slightly bent, he centered his weight and brought his arms up so that they were protecting his upper body. He patiently watched the two fighters also take up stances. In no real rush, Rude took his time observing his opponents. For whatever reason, the twins were not so cocky looking now. A small twitch was all Rude needed before he quickly closed the gap between them and followed up with a powerful uppercut to the male. Without losing any time, Rude turned and slugged the female knocking the air out of her and dropping her to the floor. Her brother was getting up again but Rude did not let him get very far as he punched downward, effectively knocking him out. Now, both were sprawled on the floor and Rude was declared the winner.

"Alright! Keep it up, partner!"

He saw Reno shove his way around the ring and talk to the large man dragging the bodies away. Rude could not hear what was being said, but he could see Reno talking animatedly while the other kept nodding. Reno seemed to have caught Rude watching and game him a thumbs up. After the bodies were cleared, a few more set of fighters challenged Rude, but each one wound up like the others. When there was a brief break, Rude saw Reno motion for him to come closer. He walked over to the edge of the ring and crouched down so he could hear.

"Doin' good. Right, not that I gotta tell ya, but I'm gonna anyways. Be careful with this next guy. Not only does he seem pretty good, but ya really want to get to the last guy. So do whatever ya do and do it right. Heh, you're makin' this too easy, pal!"

He grinned and pointed behind Rude before he could ask his partner where "pal" came from. Looking behind his shoulder, Rude saw the man, Morris, from earlier. He stood up and walked over to his next opponent.

"Good luck, pal."

Rude immediately took a liking to the man.

"Likewise."

Unlike the others, Morris was more subdued and not out for blood for the sole sake of drawing it. He was of a larger build, the same height as Rude, but a little more broader built. He wore a simple faded green shirt and a pair of loose khaki pants. It was all very casual and friendly. Morris seemed to fit in with the crows as well as Rude did. Unfortunately, he could not say the same about his partner. This motley crowd fit him somewhat nicely. Reno was yelling with the rest and getting just as rowdy.

"I take it that kid is with you?"

Rude nodded.

"So I can assume he's a Turk as well."

While simple and friendly, Rude had a strange feeling about Morris. It was not hostile, but his personality, along with the way he carried himself, implied somebody not normally of this place's ilk. Rude did not respond as morris was more or less stating it like a fact.

"Not very talkative, huh? Oh well, we came to fight, not talk, right? So let's go."

Both men took up a stance and prepared themselves. Rude studied Morris intently, searching for an opening. Not finding any to exploit, Rude just dove in with a growing sense of excitement. Morris dodged the first punch and blocked another. Throwing in a few punches himself, they spent some time testing and assessing one another before separating and re-collecting themselves. With only half a minute of adjusting styles, Rude and Morris went after each other again.

A flurry of punches were thrown as they dodged and ducked all across the stage. Rude was having a great time. His opponent could give and take a hit and above all, he was good. However, Rude was better.

They were in a deadlock, neither able to move. As they were struggling to overpower the other, Rude grounded himself and drew Morris closer before tightening his grip. With one powerful motion, Rude hefted him off the ground, using the weight to build his momentum, to bend backwards and perform a finishing suplex. Sure enough, it kept Morris from getting up. He was still conscious but too dazed to stand up let alone fight. Rude was declared the victor another time and the crowd went wild, at least more so than before.

Morris was helped off the stage and once again, he saw Reno motion for him again. When he crouched down again, Reno happily reached up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Damn that was cool! Who knew ya could whip out wrestling? That was freakin' awesome to watch, pal."

"Pal?"

"Hey, he gets to say it, why can't I? Anyways, one more to go. This next guy ain't all special despite what he says. I caught sight of him in the back and well...yeah. Just keep up the good work."

Rude nodded his head and walked back to the center of the ring. Now he was curious. Rude did not have to wait long before the crowd parted down the middle and cheered the person walking down the newly created aisle. He was not terribly huge but most of his body was covered by a bright red velvet cloak with gold trim along the train. He passed by Reno who attempted to get away but due to the crowd, the man was able to grab Reno's hand wrote something on the back. He laughed heartily and ruffled Reno's red hair.

"Hohoho! So you're the King's opponent? Very well, be dazzled and awed by my awesome power!"

The "King" dramatically whipped off his cloak to show off leopard print boxer shorts. Rude could not prevent himself from tilting his head to the side curiously. There was no shortage of eccentricity here. He looked past King to look at Reno who was still staring disgustedly and dumbfounded at the back of his hand. He slowly looked up and Rude could tell Reno was mad.

"Kick his freaky ass to the ground! Show no mercy!"

He needed no other encouragement before charging forward. His opponent was taken by surprise but was able to successfully block the attack and skillfully counterattack. Despite his appearance, the man knew how to fight. They exchanged a flurry of punches before moving to opposite sides of the arena. Rude ducked under a right hook and executed a powerful punch to his opponent's stomach. As he keeled over, Rude followed up with two quick jabs to the face, not giving King any chance to recover. The king continued to stagger and Rude was preparing to finish him off when the king suddenly dodged Rude's attack. However, instead of retaliating, he rolled himself to his feet and jumped off the stage.

"You people will never take me!"

He called that over his shoulder as he struggled to get through the crowd and keep upright. Rude swore under his breath as he took after him, not even waiting for Reno to follow. Pushing through the throng of people, Rude managed to exit the arena through a back door. He found himself in an alleyway and wasting no time, ran to the end so as to enter the main streets. Looking around, Rude was finally able to spot the king hobbling through the crowded streets and disappearing within a building. Again, he swore silently to himself as he weaved his way through the crowds.

As it approached later in the night, the night life came crawling out and filling every area with excited and chatty bodies. That became a deep annoyance as Rude attempted to reach the building quickly.

When he approached the building, Rude noticed a familiar figure also shoving his way through the people. Morris, for some reason, appeared to be following the king as well. They arrived at the entrance at the same time and took only a moment to acknowledge the other before storming into the building. However, their storming in quickly dissipated when they saw the inside.

If Rude thought outside was crowded, he had no idea what to even begin to think. Bodies were pressed up against each other while loud, rhythmic music blared on stereos. The overall atmosphere was full of energy and people having a good time. Towards the center of the crowded room, waves of people were moving counter clockwise, executing quick yet fluid movements.

"Dammit. I hate milongas!"

Morris screamed out to whoever as he attempted to navigate. Rude was also stuck and to make matters worse, he had no idea what a milonga was nor did he know how to dance like these people were.

"Are we partying or doin' somethin' important?"

Rude turned his head to find Reno standing casually to the side. Unlike Morris or himself, Reno appeared to be able to move with ease as his body lightly swayed to the music. He was scanning the crowd, blue eyes darting back and forth.

"Found him. Hey, try to get through. I'm gonna go ahead."

"Wait, how?"

Reno ignored Morris' question as he weaved his way to the corner of the room towards a young woman with a lithe figure and long legs. Rude watched his partner talk to her for a couple of seconds before she smiled and stood up. Her short crimson dress shimmered under the light and simple black stilettos accentuated her finely shaped legs.

"Is he working or flirting?"

"Both...I think."

He shrugged at Morris who also shrugged. At the moment, they had more important matters to take care of. They once again began their attempts to move through the crowds. It was slow progress, and as Rude kept an eye on his partner, he became envious.

Reno was crossing the room far quicker as he was in the flow of couples dancing at the center of the room. The line of dance continued to move,never stopping, allowing Reno to maneuver across the room. Were it not for their situation, he would have complimented Reno and his partner whose legs were everywhere yet in perfect control. He noticed that Reno was keeping his eye on something and followed his vision. The king was slumped in a chair at the back, right next to a discrete door probably leading to a back room.

The music suddenly stopped and another song came on though it sounded different from before. Rude could distinctly tell it was now salsa music. However, despite his assumption that people would begin dancing again, everybody ceased their dancing and began meandering to the edges of the room by the tables. Because the concentration of people shifted, the king was able to spot Rude. His eyes, at least the one that was not swollen shut, bulged out in surprise and he clambered out of his chair and went through the door. Reno spoke a few quick words to the woman before disappearing behind the door as well. The change in pace not only made it easier to spot people, but also made it far easier for Rude and Morris to move. They finally reached the door and trailed behind Reno.

There was a short hallway leading to another door. Rude and Morris slowed down to a halt and listened for sounds behind the door. Sounds of a person being repeatedly beaten and non-specific yelling could be heard. Rude immediately picked out Reno's voice and kept himself from rolling his eyes at the bursts of coarse language. Morris motioned silently for Rude to open the door indicating that they would take them by surprise. Rude's original assumption that Morris was not a run of the mill underground fighter became stronger. He nodded his head to indicate his understanding. Morris held up three fingers and counted down. When he made a fist, he swung the door open and Rude barged in. However, as soon as he did, he was forced to duck as a body flew his way.

At the center of the room, Reno had the king by the chain necklace around his neck and was continually punching him with his free hand. Another man picked himself off the floor and ran towards Reno's back. Before anybody could say anything, Reno lashed out with a sharp back roundhouse kick sending the man to the side of the room out cold.

"Don't freakin' interrupt me! Ya jackasses stay put or yer all gonna be feedin' out of a tube!"

With that, Reno resumed yelling and hitting the king who was feebly trying to get away.

"Where was I? Oh yeah. Ya freaky bastard! Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again! It's permanent pen too. Not to mention ya made me chase you."

Reno continued to vent his frustrations on King while Morris slowly approached Reno with a concerned and confused look on his face. Rude grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. Rude looked around the room and took in the damage. Several bodies littered the floor and a single card table was broken.

"And here I was worried about Red."

Pointing to Reno, Morris still seemed mystified by Reno or his anger or both. Rude watched and decided he should stop Reno and prevent any permanent damage to his current punching bag. He walked over, pulled Reno away from the king by his collar and passed him over to Morris who looked unsure but still grabbed him from behind.

"Hold him."

"Uhh..."

He held onto Reno who was still squirming to get out of his grasp. Rude walked over to the king who was panting, covered in welts and bruises, and generally looking pathetic, and took out his PHS. He called for the men on the boat to come over and pick up the cargo. By now, Reno was calmly grumbling to himself and Morris slowly let him go.

"Stupid...it ain't comin' off...I'm gonna kill 'im..."

He kept staring at his hand while wiping and rubbing at it. Rude grabbed Reno's hand to see what was making him so volatile. It took much of his effort and self-control to keep from grinning and even laughing. On the back of his hand, in black ink, was the word, "King" written with a sweeping flourish. Accompanying it was a phone number followed by a heart.

"...You always were popular..."

"Shut up or you're next."

Reno jerked his hand away and resumed fuming silently. Morris just watched it all in confused silence. Shaking his head a bit, he approached Rude.

"So, what are Turks doing with these people?"

"They're wanted."

"I'm not getting much from you, am I pal?"

Rude remained silent and shook his head. He looked over at Morris while bringing his foot down on the king to keep him from crawling away.

"You...you're not normal either."

Morris scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, I'm normal, at least in comparison to you two anyways. But yeah, I'm a detective here at good old Costa Del Sol. Detective Richard Morris, pal."

He shook Rude's hand but was surprised when Reno popped up next o him with an amused smirk.

"Wait, wait, wait. You're a detective and your name is Richard?...So, you're Dick Dick Morris?"

"...I prefer Richard...or Morris...whichever pal."

"Sure thing pal."

Reno was still smirking as he sauntered to an upturned chair and he set it upright before sitting down. He crossed his arms and relaxed into the chair. Rude looked over at him questioningly.

"What are you doing? Let's go."

"Did I forget to mention that more guys are comin' through that door really soon? They called reinforcements earlier. Have fun, pals!"

Before Rude could throw something hard at his partner's head, the door swung open and a group of five burly men walked in.

"Look at that. Dumb asses ain't got any guns."

The head of the group whipped his head around so he could stare directly at Reno.

"Who ya callin' dumb ass? I'm Don Juan! I don't need a gun to take a punk like you down, eve if you're a Turk."

"Pfft...Seriously? Don Juan? Great Bahamut I love this city and their names!"

Reno was grinning smugly, having a blast at Don Juan's expense. His carefree, mocking voice began to grate against the Don's nerves.

"Shut the hell up! I'm gonna show ya why I don't need a weapon. I'm takin' ya down and I-"

A hole in his chest oozing blood prevented him from continuing. Reno remained slouched in the chair with the barrel of his gun still smoking. He kept his smug grin in place.

"Talk too much. Clearly, ya should have had a weapon 'cause now ya got a hole in that chintzy blue suit."

Tucking the gun back into his jacket holster, Reno leaned back into the chair and relaxed, clasping his hands behind his head. The other men watched their boss gurgle a bit of blood before yelling and charging Reno. But, before they could reach him, Rude pile-drived into one, sending a couple reeling while Morris checked another causing the fourth to trip. Now they all wound up on the floor. Everybody scrambled to stand up and began to brawl. Trying to take them all on while not hitting each other made the fight a bit more difficult. It also did not help that Reno was just sitting in a chair to the side adding unnecessary commentary.

"Why don't you help out, pal?!"

"'Cause then I wouldn't be able to watch..Oh, behind ya."

Reno pointed and Morris turned around just in time to avoid one of the men throwing a punch at him. The timing was just so that the man lost his balance and fell flat on his face. Morris just left him there and went to help Rude who was dealing with the three others.

"Hey, ya gonna get up or somethin'?"

The man grumbled and glared up at Reno who was smirking and nudging him with the toe of his shoe. He growled and latched onto Reno's right leg and was going to attempt to pull him off the chair, but before he could, Reno's left leg lifted up and dropped forcefully on the top of the man's head resulting in an immediate concussion.

"Sorry, but I don't do that sorta thing until the third date."

By this time, Rude and Morris managed to beat everybody to a bloody pulp. As the last man dropped to the floor, Reno was clapping at their effort.

"Great show guys. Now, wasn't that fun?"

Rude shot him a reproving glare causing Reno to hold up his hands in defense. Morris massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Anymore we should be aware of, pal?"

"None that I can think of, pal."

Morris paused what he was doing and stared questioningly at Reno.

"Are you mocking me, pal?"

"Of course not. What makes ya ask, pal?"

He opened his mouth to retort but stopped when Rude shook his head.

"Not worth it...You don't win."

"One of those, huh? Aw well, you're still fun to have around, pal. Hey, but let me know how that date goes."

Rude and Morris smirked at the angry scowl on Reno's face. He glared at the back of his hand and began mumbling to himself. The door opened again causing Rude and Morris to tense, but relaxed when a couple of MP from the boat and local law enforcement came in. Not bothering to ask any questions, the MP's grabbed the king and dragged him into the hallway. Out of the law enforcers, one of the older ones stepped over the bodies and stood a short distance from Morris who saluted.

"What's up Chief?"

"Hm, good question, Detective. How about disobeying orders for starters? Then we can move on to the mayhem of this place, one man's death, and ho w you want to explain yourself for your reckless actions!"

His voice grew louder as he spoke. Reno plugged an ear and stood up. Sauntering over casually to the chief, he draped an arm around the stouter man's neck and pointed at Morris.

"I dunno what got your panties in a bunch, but my pal here was a big help and prevented a potentially dangerous situation from occurring. Also, he aided in the capture of a wanted man by ShinRa. From what I can tell, you should be thankin' him."

The chief attempted to get away, but Reno was like a leech and would not let go. He sighed in exasperation and huffed.

"Hmph. I don't care for your attitude, Turk. ShinRa can't come in here doing whatever they please. A punk like you can't do anything."

"That so? I dunno. I can be pretty resourceful when I gotta be. Really, I don't care for yer attitude old man. I'm generally a nice guy but I got my not so nice side and I sure as hell ain't afraid to use it. I know exactly what was happening' here. Try me. See if I'm jokin', I dare ya old fart. You ain't got nuthin' on me and I got a shit load against your pudgy ass. So, yer gonna drop this or I'm gonna show ya why ya don't piss me off. Comprende, amigo?"

Morris stood by silently in suspense and Reno and chief had a stare down. The chief was having a difficult time against Reno's sharp blue gaze. Beads of sweat rolled down the chief's forehead and he gulped. A dangerous smirk played on Reno's lips as the blue of his eyes seemed to become a deep, stormy hue of blues and greens. Rude stood by at the ready, anticipating any possible outcome. The grip on the chief's shoulder tightened and he began to buckled under the pain and pressure from Reno. Finally, he gasped for breath and jerked away.

"Fine. Just get outta here. We'll talk later Morris."

"Great! See? Aren't things so much nicer now that we're all pals?"

Reno clapped the chief heartily on the back and laughed. Gone was the threatening aura. It disappeared like a fleeting shadow and was replaced with his usual carefree expression. The chief grumbled and walked away rubbing his shoulder leaving Morris alone. The detective stared incredulously at Reno.

"Uh, thanks?...Seriously, where'd that come from?"

"Like my partner likes to say, 'it's better not to ask.' Oh yeah, ya got a minute? Wanna accompany us to our boat? It'll be worth it, pal."

"Sure."

They walked away from the scene leaving the grunts to clean up the mess. There were still crowds out, bu now, most were inside at some bar or club enjoying the evening. Unlike Midgar or Junon, Costa Del Sol had a fresh, clean air to it. Though the center and denser parts smelled slightly of filth and booze, it gradually faded away and was overpowered by the fresh sea breeze.

"So, what did ya do to make Old Man Cop so angry?"

Morris sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"We've been after Don Juan for a while, but we always came short with any evidence to prosecute him. The chief ordered everybody to stick to the usual plan of keeping an eye on his men, but the longer that man stays free, the worse this place gets. Too much is under the thumb of that guy."

He looked up at the stars and studied their bright brilliance. Constellations were clear and distinct with no cloud in sight. A gentle breeze teased Morris' short cropped hair as he continued to stare into space.

"Anyways, I knew our current method was no good and we wouldn't get anywhere. So, I entered in that fight club knowing that King worked for Don Juan. Get close to the source and learn his weakness. I wanted to put this guy away so bad I went against orders. I tend to be a bit headstrong with certain things."

"Hm, sounds good to me. Ya took action when nobody else would. That's a good thing in this kind of work, right partner?"

Rude nodded his head once in agreement causing Reno to grin over his shoulder at Morris.

"See? He agrees too. But now the juicy question; what do ya think about the chief?"

He looked curiously at Reno who encouraged him to answer.

"Well, I can't say I care for some his methods, but he's chief for a reason, right? He wants to do his job."

"Is that right?..Huh, ain't that a cute way of lookin' at it."

Reno trailed off to himself and entered his own little world wherever that may be. Morris looked over at Rude who just shrugged. He chuckled at the response.

"Glad to know I'm not the only one who doesn't get it. Anyways, how about you? Do you enjoy working as a Turk?"

That depended on how one defined "enjoy" or at least, that was what Rude was thinking. Instead, he told him that he enjoyed it, which was true in some respects, but Morris did not need to know that.

"I always wondered if I could make it as a Turk."

"You could."

Rude did not know why he answered, but his instincts told him it would be good to have a person like Morris in the Turks.

"I second that opinion."

Both men were surprised at Reno's voice interrupting. They both assumed he had not been listening the whole time. Whatever the case, Morris carried on with the light and casual talk until they reached the dock with their boat. When they reached the docking board, Reno sprinted up it.

"Wait here a sec."

"What's he doing?"

Rude could only shrug once more and crossed his arms as he waited for his partner to show himself again. It did not take long before Reno bounced up next to Morris and handed him a manila envelope. The detective took it and turned it over a few times.

"What's this?"

"Just some stuff you'll find fun. Ya seem smart enough to figure it all out. We gotta go now, but it was fun. See ya around Dick Dick Morris! Call if ya ever want to see if ya can make it as a Turk!"

He waved over his shoulder before running off somewhere on the deck. Rude shook morris' hand as he got on board. As the engine started up and the boat began leaving dock, Morris waved.

"Hey Rude! Next time you're in town, let's have a rematch!"

Rude waved his hand once and walked to the cabin and holding area. A small group of people were sulking in the confines of the electric pen and all shot Rude some wicked glares. Reno came up beside him and patted his shoulder.

"Looks like ya got a good fan base. Not only that, turns out our friends from the boat that attacked us when we first arrived were indeed our terrorist friends. So, we also got a couple of souvenirs to bring back."

He studied the captives a bit longer before going back on deck. Rude decided to follow him since he was curious about the envelope and his partner failed to mention it to him. When he arrived at the bow of the ship, Reno was sitting on the deck floor lounging against the railing. Rude took a similar position next to him.

"That envelope...it was what Heidegger was yappin' about before we left. Turns out, the chief is a bit of a dirty cop. While not bothersome to us usually, this guy has been an informant for the company but his getting' too friendly with the local mafia threated the status quo. So, we were supposed to also get this guy out of the picture, but that sounded boring so I pawned it off on our detective friend. He's the type to get it done and should also give him a good rap."

"It was evidence."

"Bingo."

They sat in silence and took in the peaceful night along with the stars blinking brightly. Rude watched his partner out of the corner of his eye.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Reno had his head turned up and was staring blankly at the sky.

"Didn't seem that important I guess."

"Hn. Just tell me next time."

Reno remained silent. It was one of those moments where Rude could not determine an emotion from his partner. Reading people's faces generally came easy to him and Reno was easy enough to read. However, there were moments of exceptions. His partner's gaze continued to stare upward, but Rude could see that his eyes were unfocused so it was clear that he was not studying the stars.

"You know...I hate 'em. They're like little flies that should be swatted away...They're all nothin' more than creepin' crawlin' insects...should just squish and get rid of 'em all..."

Eyes remained skyward while Rude kept silent and absorbed each word.

"That makes me a bad person?...I don't care. I'd do it...I'd want to do it."

Reno slowly closed his eyes and Rude thought he was asleep. However, his eyes opened again and he pointed upwards.

"Hey look! I can see every constellation. Hm, it's really big, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

His partner's eyes flickered back and forth as he took in the scenery. It appeared like he could not keep still as he kept fidgeting or adjusting his position, but he was not eager to leave his spot. Rude remained seated and quiet as always, letting Reno ramble on about whatever came to mind. He learned about the space exploration program, Cid, and how incredibly dull the executive head of that department was. To Rude, it was like there was no pattern to his thinking, only a jumble of thoughts clashing against each other and just came pouring out whichever way they came. Reno had no reason or purpose for saying anything he did, but Rude noticed how less agitated he seemed to become as Reno kept talking. Finally, Reno paused speaking and stretched. A tiny smile graced his features.

"Funny. How come we don't want to feel tiny or insignificant, but we look up at the endless expanse of the sky in hopes of feeling better about it? Existentialism sucks in that regard. I dunno. I don't really care either way. We just do what we gotta do, right partner?"

Rude also stretched and took relaxing, peaceful breath.

"Yeah."

* * *

**A/N: **So what did you think? Morris is the horrifically stupid name I came up with for one of the BC players. He was a detective at Costa Del Sol before joining the Turks (and he says "pal" at the end because I was playing Phoenix Wright and Detective Gumshoe is love). Anyways, the whole fight club thing came from an episode in BC. I think I mentioned it before, but if not, sorry. Just ask me then. Also, a milonga is a social setting where people dance social Argentine tango. Its completely improvised and there is a cycle of about three songs before a break is taken and new partners are chosen. It seemed like a thing that would happen at a place called Costa Del Sol. Salsa would have worked also but I know next to nothing about salsa. Anyways, please leave a review of the chapter about whatever you'd like. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!


	21. Microwave

**A/N: **Alright, here's another chapter. This one went up quick, didn't it? Well, that's because I'm getting ready to leave and I won't return for a little over a month. Not that I haven't waited that long to update before...Anyways, I've gotten only wonderful reviews and felt like I should put out another chapter before I left. As for the contents of the chapter, it's slower as there isn't any fighting, just people being people. So please enjoy the story!

I don't own FFVII

* * *

The return trip went far smoother than the initial one, of which, Rude was glad about. When Reno was landing the helicopter, hues of red and orange were beginning to tint the perpetual smog supported clouds. Checking his watch, Rude saw the numbers indicate it was close to dawn. Not waiting for the engine to completely die down, Rude stepped off and watched in mild amusement as a landing personnel, the same one from when they left, was begging Reno to sign something. After some nagging, Reno sighed and grabbed the pen from the now happy personnel. However, they joy was short lived as Reno signed his name quite large and across the main text of the paperwork. It was far from the signature line. He tossed the pen back to the personnel as he walked away. Rude passed by and patted his shoulder in comfort before following Reno.

Reno held the elevator doors open for Rude and pressed the button for the Turks' floor. They managed to descend a few floors before it stopped and the doors opened to reveal Heidegger. He stepped into the elevator, much to Reno's visible chagrin. Rude stepped to the side so he was no so close. His partner also moved away by scooting closer to Rude, as if he was trying to put as much as he could between them.

"Seems you two did something right. So, did you take care of that decrepit old chief?"

"Yeah. Got it handled. No worries about him."

Heidegger laughed in satisfaction causing Reno to twitch and Rude fought against the same urge. The elevator came to another stop and the doors opened. Reno wasted no time scrambling off the elevator and Rude also got off as fast as he could. Both Turks sighed in relief when the doors closed again.

"What's that fat lard doin' this early?"

"If you're referencing Heidegger, he was waiting for you to finish. Also, there was an executive meeting about the new threat of the terrorists."

Rude almost jumped when he noticed Tseng suddenly standing next to him. Impeccably neat as always, Tseng stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Reno stretched and yawned.

"If that's the case, then ya know everythin' went peachy. See ya later."

"Not so fast."

Faster than would be expected, Tseng latched onto the back of Reno's suit collar and prevented him from walking away. A chain of mumbling came from Reno who stopped and crossed his arms petulantly.

"Fine. I'll fill in the paperwork. Ya happy?"

He pointed at Tseng's face who looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind. His gaze focused on Reno's hand and when Reno realized what he was staring at, he attempted to pull away. But, Tseng was ready and before Reno could withdraw his hand, he had a vice-like grip on Reno's wrist.

"King...heart?...This...is absolutely priceless."

Reno jerked his hand away with a grumble and a tinge of red from embarrassment highlighted his cheeks. With a loud huff, Reno crossed his arms and continued to grumble about killing a certain someone.

"Heh...Ah-hem. That aside, as amusing as it is, Reno, Veld wanted to see you before you head off anywhere."

"Now?"

"Yes, that would be the implication. Go now. You can call your admirer later."

"Shut up...Slaved drivers..."

Reno stalked off towards the office while Tseng watched him with mild amusement. When he left, Tseng motioned for Rude to follow him.

"So, how was your first time at the club? From the reports from the informants there, it sounded quite exciting. I'll assume Reno 'let' you have all the fun?"

"It was a blast."

A small smile played on Tseng's lips.

"At least there were no blasts. However, get used to that place. It won't be going away anytime soon."

They arrived at Tseng's office and Rude followed behind. Tseng took his place behind his desk while Rude took a seat across from him.

"I heard we had a run-in with our terrorists on your way there. Tell me."

Rude explained the episode to the best of his memory and explained their few captives. Tseng listened quietly through the whole account and remained silent afterwards. He reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out a small black notebook resembling a planner of some sort. After jotting something down, he put the small notebook away and stared seriously at Rude.

"I don't want our prisoners getting into Heidegger's or somebody else's hands first. You'll be notified when we get them and you can interrogate. Anything else?"

Shaking his head in the negative, Tseng stood up and dismissed Rude.

"Get some rest. The others will respond if anything is needed."

"Sir."

Rude saluted then exited the office. Shutting the door behind him, Rude stretched and checked his watch. It was barely morning and despite the previous twenty-four hours, he was not all that eager to get any sleep. He figured he would wind up taking a nap later, intentionally or not. So for now, he walked over to the workspace he shared with Reno. When he came to the door, he was surprised to see the light already on. Upon opening the door, Rude saw Reno slouched over his desk.

"What? Ya ain't gonna go to bed?"

"No."

Being that he was not tired, Rude decided to work on any paperwork, but he was not expecting to find his partner doing the same thing. Reno never looked up as he continued to scribble on whatever paperwork he had, resting his head on his hands propped up on his elbow. His hair was unkempt as always and his hand looked lost among the bright red.

"Man, you're a really boring guy. I'm forced into it at least."

Rude shrugged and sat at his desk and studied the stack of papers placed neatly at his desk. It was impressive how all the paperwork was already organized. He wondered how long it had been sitting there before he returned from his trip to Costa Del Sol. Who organized and printed it up, Rude did not know, he was just impressed at the speed and efficiency of the company.

Getting comfortable in his seat, Rude pulled out his pen and grabbed the first sheet. Glancing over it, he signed here, initialed there, dated another and filled in numbers. There was nothing horribly complicated about any of it. Rude settled into a steady rhythm and worked in autopilot. Sheet after sheet, he did the same thing. Boring, somewhat tedious, but predictable. After mechanically working through about half the paperwork, Rude stopped writing and stretched his neck. He looked over at his partner who was in the same position but looking much more irritated.

"You okay?"

"No. I'm never okay with paperwork. What's it for? I hate it. It's boring."

Reno growled and roughly ran his hand back and forth in his hair in irritation. Tossing his pen down on the desk, Reno leaned back into his chair, stretching his arms over his head. He remained leaning back and reclining his head with his hands and looked over at Rude.

"This is you're kind of work, ain't it?"

"Not really...I just have...a longer attention span."

His partner quirked and eyebrow and smirked.

"Can't argue there. Alright, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna finish this paperwork! Then Tseng can't say jack about it and will eave me alone."

He continued to watch his partner who picked up his pen and began writing with vigor. It was like this for a few minutes so Rude just went back to work. Nothing in the work changed, which was not surprising considering it could only be for formality's sake. Every once and a while he would glance out of the corner of his eye at Reno.

Once more, Reno looked frustrated but determined. Rude had to give him credit for that. His left hand impatiently twitched on top of the desk while he scribbled with his other. He was able to put another piece of paper in the outbox. Wondering how much longer his partner would be able to hold out, Rude went back to mechanically finishing his own. With only a few left, Rude took a moment to stretch and crack his joints. His hand was getting stiff from the continuous writing.

"Oh hell yeah. I'm almost there!"

Reno was twitching in his chair but still writing. His right hand was lightly tapping the desk's surface in an irriated manner while his left wrote out his signature with more force than was probably necessary. Rude took a deep breath and picked up his pen again before pausing and looking back up at Reno. He was not imagining it.

"Whatcha starin' at?"

"What's your dominant hand?"

His partner lifted his head to stare at him like he was insane."

"Eh?"

"Humor me."

"Fine. It's..uh..."

Reno put his pen down and held up his hands to stare at them. He remained silent as if in deep thought. Rude could not understand, no matter how hard he tried, why this involved such deep contemplation. Finally Reno put his hands down and shrugged.

"I dunno. Left maybe? I don't really think about what hand I'm usin'."

"Not thinking? That's not new."

A new voice interrupted them. Reno made a dirty face at Tseng who was standing in the doorway.

"What's this now? You, doing paperwork? And willingly?"

He walked over to Reno's desk and grabbed one piece of paper looking it over. Reno snatched it from his hand and placed it back where it was. Tseng smirked a little and nodded at Rude.

"You, my friend, are certainly a miracle worker."

"You can shuddup about that now...Oh, hey boss?"

"Hm?"

Reno held up both his hands causing Tseng to stare at him questioningly.

"What hand am I?"

He thought about it before answering.

"Seems to depend on the situation."

"Meaning?"

Tseng picked up Rude's pen and chucked it at Reno who easily caught it with his right.

"What was that for?"

"Put it down, the throw it at me."

"Wait, I can throw this at you?"

"Reno."

He used a tone that indicated for Reno to shut up and do as he was told. Shrugging, he picked up the pen and threw it. Tseng caught it and handed it back to Rude who had been watching silently.

"You threw it with your left."

"Oh. Hn."

"I'd assume you're left, but at the same time, you use your right side often enough. You've probably developed both sides enough to be ambidextrous."

"I'm a what now?"

Tseng just rolled his eyes and looked over at Rude.

"You can have the pleasure of dealing with this one. By the way, keep your eyes and ears open. Reeve said there are more bugs and taps, so be on guard. Good day, gentlemen."

He nodded before leaving the room. When he left, Rude rolled his shoulders before leaning over his desk and continued writing. As he was in the middle of signing his name, a wad of crumpled paper hit his head.

"What'd he just call me?"

"Ambidextrous. You can use both hands."

He shook his head and continued his paperwork while Reno made an enlightened, "Oh" before, at least what Rude assumed, going back to his own work. It did not take much longer before placing his final piece of paperwork in the outbox.

"Hey, hey! Look!"

Rude looked over at his now excited partner. Reno was signing his name on two pieces of paperwork at a time. His left hand was writing while the other was also. He finished signing, put down the pends, and held up the papers to examine them.

"A little sloppier but nothin' as bad as when I don't want to do it."

The papers were haphazardly thrown into his outbox and pulled out two more pieces of paper and began anew. Shaking his head, Rude stood up and walked to the door. As entertaining as his partner was, Rude felt like a hot cup of coffee and maybe something to eat. Reno seemed occupied enough to leave alone. He silently walked to the lounge and opened the door.

"Oh, hey Rude!"

Victoria cheerily waved her hand at Rude who nodded.

"Want some coffee?"

"You're a saint."

He gladly took the offered mug from the giggling Victoria. She went over to the refrigerator and pulled out a take-out box. Sliding it over to Rude who looked at her questioningly.

"It's a sandwich. Figured you might be hungry."

"Definitely a saint."

Victoria laughed again as she grabbed her own mug of coffee and sat down on the nearby couch next to Shanon who was intently watching the news. Rude made his way over to the television to see what was so interesting.

"_Due to recent evidence presented by a local detective of the Costa Del Sol Police Department, an in-depth investigation is being opened against the chief of police. Stay tuned for more details. Back to you..."_

Rude slowly took a sip form his mug being careful not to burn his tongue. Shanon looked up at Rude.

"You have a hand in that?"

"Yes."

Shanon made a non-committal grunt before stretching and readjusting his position. Victoria looked up from where she was and smiled.

"I heard you took out a whole underground fight ring all by yourself."

"It's...nothing."

"You're too modest. I think it's great."

"I also heard that Reno had an admirer."

Shanon had a smug grin on his face causing his partner to smile broadly when the door suddenly swung open. Reno was huffing and stomped over to them.

"It's not funny! It's wrong, it's just sick and wrong!"

Before Reno could move away, Shanon dove at him and latched onto his arm. Bursts of laughter came from Shanon while yells of anger cursed him out. Rude took over Shanon's seat next to Victoria. They both silently sipped their caffeine beverage and watched the two wrestle and roll along the ground.

"Not too long ago, I would have been so flustered over this...What does it say about us, that these things don't even perk my interest?"

"Can't be good."

Their mugs clanked when they saluted each other and continued drinking, and in Rude's case, also eating. Shanon and Reno continued to fight with each other even when the door opened and a maintenance worker walked in. He paused a moment to stare at the wrestling match, then to Rude and Victoria and finally just shrugged. Walking around the pair, he made his way to the microwave. After unplugging it and carrying it away, Reno and Shanon ceased their fighting. However, they both kept a tight hold on each other's hair.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Taking it away."

"Why?"

"Getting new ones."

"It still works, right?"

"Yes."

"Can I have it?"

"Knock yourself out."

The maintenance worker shrugged and placed it on the counter and left without questioning anything. When the door closed, Reno and Shanon let go each each other and three pairs of questioning eyes were on Reno.

"What? Why let it go to waste?"

"What...are you going to do with it?"

Rude asked slowly and cautiously. There was nothing wrong with the one in their apartment so he could only imagine how a microwave might be used by his partner. Reno looked at him innocently resulting in Rude sighing and shaking his head.

"Hey Reno, what's on your hand?"

A noticeable tick suddenly appeared on Reno' brow as he turned around to slowly glare at the speaker who held his hands up defensively.

"Alright, alright, sorry I asked."

"Hey Steve, Scott."

Cheerful as usual, Victoria greeted the other two Turks who greeted everybody else. Scott pointed at the microwave and Rude just shook his head.

"So, did ya guys heard that more taps have been found?"

Reno shot Steve one last dirty look while he grabbed a towel and soap. The others nodded and grew solemn. Somebody was pretty bold to able to do so much under the nose of the Turks. Not only that, the choices were limited considering their location. Steve plopped down on the other side of Victoria and blew some hair from his face.

"I wonder...You don't think it's...one of us, do you? I mean, how many people have this much access?"

"Other than being a mood killer, are ya also goin' paranoid now?"

Everybody turned to stare at Reno scrubbing at the back of hand under the sink faucet. Steve sighed in an annoyed manner and frowned.

"I'm not a mood killer punk. I'm just being serious here, because this situation is getting serious. Aren't you concerned at all?"

"Nope. I think I know what's goin' on already."

Scott looked surprised as he leaned against the counter to stare at Reno's back.

"You do? Why don't you tell the Commander or somebody?"

"Scott's right. What do you know?"

All attention was placed on Reno who was still furiously scrubbing his hand. He threw the towel, which landed in Shanon's face, and shut off the water. Ignoring the angry glare from Shanon, Reno glanced over at Steve and smirked.

"I don't know anything. I just said 'think'. I'm not gonna run around talkin' about somethin' I only think."

"Well, well. One of the smartest things you've ever said. Hello everybody, I assume we're all doing fine today?"

Ever polite, Alexander sauntered over to Reno and smiled. Reno just snorted and walked away from him, grabbing the microwave in the process.

"Shut up. I know. And yes, I'm taking the microwave."

"Just checking."

Reno grumbled to himself as he stalked out of the room, microwave under arm. Alexander watched him leave as he poured himself a cup of coffee. When the door shut, Victoria could not hold anything back anymore and burst into a fit of giggles. The rest also seemed amused and began joking around. Previous thoughts of their serious situation were lost amid the new set of conversations regarding Reno.

"Ah yes, before I forget. Steve, Reeve would like to meet with you around 1400 hours."

"Oh sure, yeah. Hey, you know what for?"

Alexander took off his glasses and gently cleaned them.

"I don't know. I'd assume it's due to your expertise with technology. Reeve doesn't do field work so he probably wants you to deal with our recent bug infestation."

"So you're good with that kind of stuff?"

Steve crossed his arms and nodded proudly at Victoria.

"Yup! Gotta admit, I'm pretty good."

"Humble of you."

Steve playfully pouted at Alexander who had his glasses back on.

"What? It's not everyday you get to meet with somebody like Reeve. I mean, the man's good. Look at the city design."

"It's only really good for some. I can't exactly say the slums are all that nice."

After being absent from the conversation so long, the others were slightly surprised when Shanon joined in. He had been brushing his long golden tresses and honestly, Rude simply overlooked the superfluous Turk.

"Only those at the top get to see the sun."

Scott thought about it a moment and nodded his head.

"True. However, it's not like we see the sun all that well either."

Everybody nodded in agreement. Alexander pulled out his PHS to check the time.

"Hm. I must leave to meet Cissnei. I just wanted to drop by to deliver Reeve's message. Good day."

He bowed lightly and then left the room. Not long after, Rude's PHS started to ring. Pulling it out, he checked the number before answering.

"_Hey, ya doin' something' now?"_

"No."

"_Wanna do me a favor and go to Reeve for me?"_

"Why?"

"_Tell him I need a reflector disc. Don't question, he'll know."_

"Sure."

"_Great, thanks!"_

Rude snapped the phone shut and stood. The others looked at him questioningly.

"Reno wants something from Reeve."

He made his way to the door but paused when Steve called to him.

"Hey, I'll go with you. I'm supposed to meet with him anyways. I'll call you when I'm done."

Scott nodded and turned his attention back to Shanon and Victoria. Steve followed Rude out of the room and the two of them made their way to the elevator. He pressed the down button and waited for the cart to arrive. The two Turks stood in relative silence but Rude got the feeling it was a bit tense for some reason. He studied Steve out of the corner of his eye. The other Turk was standing calm enough while waiting for the elevator. No indication of any abnormality was present.

"Something wrong?"

"No."

He shrugged and walked into the elevator when the doors opened while Rude followed close behind. Steve pushed the button for a floor down. It still remained silent, but Rude still felt slightly uneasy.

"You know, if you weren't so quiet, people would probably feel less intimidated by you."

Rude slowly turned his head to meet Steve's eyes. He cocked an eyebrow but remained silent. Steve sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Hey, I'm just saying. I like some noise...which is odd that Reno's so attracted to you."

By now, he was rambling on and Rude just let him. His initial feeling of unease began to dissipate though something continued to nag the back of his mind. However, it was barely present and Rude thought no more of it. They now stood in front of Reeve's office door and Steve knocked.

"Enter."

Steve pushed the door open and walked in. Rude followed and shut the door behind him. Reeve was hunched over a black, furry mass, attacking the inside with a screwdriver and a sea of wires. Never ceasing his work, Reeve asked what Rude was doing in his workplace.

"Reno asked me to pick up a reflector disc."

At that, Reeve paused what he was doing and looked up at Rude. There was a small, amused grin on his face though his eyebrows were raised in question. He put down his tools and walked over to a pile of miscellaneous parts. Rude was fascinated at how much was just lying around. It would be understated to say "pile". He had never seen such a collection of odds and ends that filled the back area. There was no way anybody could find anything. However, after rummaging a few seconds, Reeve pulled out a small clear disc and tossed it at Rude.

"Should I send out some sort of company warning?"

"With Reno, yes."

Steve answered in amusement. Reeve also appeared amused and made to grab his tools again but then began looking around.

"Steve, could you grab a flathead screwdriver and an extra laptop from the other room?"

"Sure."

he easily made his way through the office they were currently in and went out into the hallway. As the door shut and he was a distance away, Reeve went back to tinkering with the fury object.

"So, what does Reno want with it?"

"I don't know."

And being honest, he really did not know. Reno just did things and what he decided to do with his free time, Rude just let him do what he wanted. He had yet to die so it could not have been anything too bad. He liked to make explosives and Reno liked to play with microwaves. A part of him did not want to experience an exploding microwave, but another sick part of him found that amusing and wanted to see it. But he wisely kept that to himself.

"It might have something to do with a microwave."

"A microwave?"

Rude nodded his head and Reeve seemed to be thinking about it before coming to some conclusion.

"Crude, but effective. Reno in a nutshell. Yes, I'll put out that warning memo."

He knew he was missing something, but thought better of questioning. Reeve seemed okay with it so he figured it could not be something bad. Though, he was slightly concerned that a memo should be put out. With a small nod, Reeve dismissed Rude who thanked him for the disc. Before he left, Reeve called out to him.

"I'd back up any information on any computer if I were you. Make sure it's a protected disk."

Pausing a moment to nod his thanks for the information, Rude continued on his way all the more curious as to what Reno was attempting to do. He thought about it as he made his way back to the apartment and opened the door. Sitting at the dining table was Reno who had the microwave exposing its internal parts. When eh shut the door, Reno looked up from his current project.

"Hey, did ya get it?"

He walked over and placed the disc on the table. Reno happily snatched it up and went back to tinkering with the microwave. Rude was still curious as to what he was building. Taking a seat across from his partner, he studied the little pet project. Not seeming to care, Reno continued his work and let Rude stare. They sat like that for a while and Rude was still trying to figure it out. Whether Reno noticed his curious confusion or not, he stopped what he was doing to stretch.

"The report's over there, but the new bugs they've found have gotten more high-tech. So, because I'm bored and brilliant, I'm gonna fry 'em all. And, if there really is somebody here as a mole, this hsould also slow 'em down enough to pinpoint him."

So that was why Reeve warned him to save any data. Now that one question was answered, a new one presented itself.

"Why a microwave?"

"'Cause I'm bored, I'm not reeve, and I...hm, I dunno. We'll stick with those two for now."

Reno scratched his head before going back to his work. Rude was both concerned and amused. As he worked, Reno continued to lightly chat.

"See, if I remove the magnatron from here...and then place the reflector disc thing here...It scrambles anything running on electrical currents and chips. So computers and more technological bugs can be zapped."

There was always that constant feeling of wondering how Reno came to know that. Whatever the case, Rude decided to let Reno to his own devices. It could not kill anybody so everything was fine. He stood up and was about to head to his room but was stopped by Reno.

"Before I forget, ya got some mail."

He pointed to the coffee table in the living room where a few sealed envelopes sat. Rude nodded his thanks and picked up the mail. With a precursory glance, Rude checked each return address. Most was some junk mail or advertisements. Only one piece of mail drew his attention. Separating that one from the others, he walked into his room and shut the door. Tossing the pile carelessly on his nightstand, he sat on the edge of his bed and looked over the single white envelope.

His name was written plainly and neatly on the front and the back flap was sealed by a small flower sticker. Being careful, Rude slid his finger under the seal and pulled out the letter inside. Rude immediately recognized his mother's handwriting. At that moment, he wanted to slap himself. The last time he talked with her was before his final examination into the Turks. He had been so busy, communicating with his family wound up at the bottom of his priority list.

As he though, the first thing his mother wrote was about his lack of correspondence. His mother was always fine with his reservation but still demanded attention from him. Chuckling softly, Rude continued to read. Home was still the same with the most drastic change being a neighbor he did not know give birth to twins. Though unchanging, the letter went on and Rude was amused at how long she could go on about the same thing. After learning the local gossip, his mother moved on to asking about him. Typical questions were fired one after the other and it finally ended with his mother's encouragement and love.

Folding the letter and replacing it in the envelope, Rude grabbed the junk mail, stood up, and tossed it in the waste basket. He walked over to his bureau and pulled out the top drawer and grabbed a few pieces of plain white paper before shutting it again. With some free time and while he was thinking about it, Rude was determined to write back. He opened the door and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. Carefully cleaning a space, Rude set the paper down and pulled out his pen. Reno seemed completely uninterested and continued his business.

Rude succeeded in getting halfway through before he could feel his partner staring at him. Reno was resting his chin on the top of the microwave and staring down at him. Stopping his writing, Rude looked up questioningly at him.

Oh, it's nothin'...Ya just seemed so determined to write a freakin' letter when ya came out, I grew curious."

"Hn."

They remained silent and staring at each other until Rude just decided to try and forget about his partner looming overhead. He went back to writing and began informing his mother about his friends. Like all nosy mothers, Rude's mother wanted to make sure he was getting along with his co-workers and making new friends to keep from being lonely.

Reno appeared to be bored with Rude now and continued to jam the screwdriver into the microwave. As he explained how they worked with partners and described his particular partner, Rude found himself fishing for appropriate words to describe Reno. Other than describing his physical appearance, Rude was trying to find a way to properly portray his partner while being truthful yet not making his mother worry about the sort of people he was hanging out with. He did not need high school to come back to him.

"Dammit all! Get out, get out!"

Rude sighed as he looked up to see what his partner was up to now. Reno was currently yanking as hard as he could on something. The table shook each time he pulled. He could help him, but actually, it was a entertaining for Rude. Reno seemed absolutely determined but was growing increasingly frustrated. Rude was going to let him continue but stood up when he saw Reno's hand twitch towards where he kept his gun.

"Don't."

His partner pouted and then shoved the microwave his way.

"Fine then. Hold this."

The microwave was held over the table with Rude holding the actual machine while Reno grabbed whatever part he wanted out. Rude felt the tugging and held on tight. Whatever was in there was stuck pretty god so Rude also began pulling against Reno.

"Almost there...Got it, Gaah!"

When the part suddenly dislodged itself, Reno had to much momentum from pulling. He fell backwards over his chair. Rude held the microwave and leaned forward to check on his partner. Reno was rubbing the back of his head but seemed well enough. He stood up and dropped the newly removed part on the table with a thud. By no means was Rude gifted in the finer workings of kitchen appliances, but he did recognize the part as being vital to its functioning.

"That the magnatron. Now, all I got to do is insert the reflector disc and we'll be done!"

Clapping his hands together, Reno set his chair upright again and grabbed the reflector disc as he sat down. Rude still was unsure what was going on, but Reno was being calm and silent now so he went back to writing. In the end, he settled for describing his partner as eccentric but reliable. He made things interesting and Rude would like to see where it all eventually went.

* * *

**A/N:** So how was it? By the way, yes, what Reno's doing is perfectly true. More on that though next chapter where it will be explained a little better. You know, for having bugs and wiretaps, everybody sure seems easy going, don't they? Oh well, they're Turks and are deterred by nobody. :) So nothing really major here, but Rude writing a letter to his mother. Yes, I gave him a living mother. Some of them have to have living parents somewhere. In the end, I hope you all enjoyed reading this. And again, because I'll be leaving out of country, I probably won't get around to replying to the reviews. In case I don't get around to it, I thank you all for reading and reviewing!


	22. Plans

**A/N:** Ah ha! I'm not dead yet. Sorry it took so long. I was doing study abroad in Europe and when I got back, I ended up in California for a while, then I had my wisdom teeth pulled, and learned I am allergic to the antibiotic they gave me. Fun times. Anyways, here's the next chapter. I had to re-read the previous one just to remember where I left off and what I was trying to do. So, without much ado, here's the next chapter. Please enjoy!

I don't own FFVII.

* * *

"So wait, how come your writtin' a letter? Why not e-mail?"

"Mother is traditional."

"Makes sense I guess...Hm, I think I'll write a letter too!"

Rude was going to ask to whom Reno would write, but figured it was his business and for some reason, he had a gut feeling as to the receiver. Whatever the case, Reno resumed work as did Rude. He finished his letter and signed his name at the bottom. With careful precision, he folded the letter into thirds and stuffed it into an envelope. Upon finishing addressing the envelope, he heard Reno exclaim that he was done.

"There ya have it! Time to try it out."

He picked up the microwave and held it under his arm. Rude followed behind. It was only because he wanted to deliver his letter. It was not because he was curious as to what his partner was going to do with the microwave. As they walked down the hall, Steve and Scott happened to be pasing by when they noticed Reno.

"Hey, whatcha up to?"

Scott asked curiously as he pointed towards the microwave.

"They already put a new one in."

"Duh, it's not a microwave."

Reno rolled his eyes at Scott and kept walking. Scott scratched his head questioningly.

"But it looks like a microwave..."

Rude shrugged at Scott's still confused expression and followed behind Reno. He heard Steve "hm" to himself and both Scott and Steve were trailing behind with their curiosity piqued. Reno marched over to the office spaces with determination and paused outside his and Rude's office. Reno awkwardly opened the door as he juggled his microwave and set it on the floor when he was inside. The three Turks following him watched curiously as the device was plugged in and Reno cracked his knuckles in anticipation. It was not until Reno made a move to turn the power on that Steve suddenly blanched.

"Oh no, no, no! What do you think you're doing?! Everything not guarded is going to fry! W-wait a minute!"

"Yup. Tseng said the bugs were getting' more complex, technologically speaking, so I'm gonna cook 'em all. Why? Do ya have a problem with it?"

Reno looked smugly over his shoulder at Steve who shifted his weight nervously.

"N-no. It's just, well, shouldn't you wait for Reeve? Not to mention I don't think Tseng would approve."

"First off, Reeve ain't done 'till tomorrow. Second, when have I ever cared about his approval?"

Rude watched Steve shift uncomfortably under Reno's stare with mild interest. A small smirk crawled onto Reno's face as he turned back around to face the microwave.

"Hope ya got all your computer stuff backed up or protected!"

Without much ado, he hit the power button and the microwave started up. Rude and Scott moved to either side of the door entrance outside since they were not sure what was going to happen. The noise was similar to a regular microwave but the hum was louder and it had a different pitch, but thankfully, there was no explosion. Reno let it run for a little while before shutting it off and unplugging it. He tucked it under his arm again and waltzed past the others with a satisfied smirk.

"Alrighty, on to the next!"

Scott inclined his head towards Rude questioningly. While watching Reno repeat the same process down the hall, in another space, Scott talked in a whisper in a most probable attempt to not attract Reno's attention.

"What did he just do? Nothing happened...I think you better take him to a professional."

Rude choked back a deep sigh.

"Already tried."

Rude, Scott, and Steve just stood by and watched Reno go about his business. They should have stopped him or ignored him, but for some reason, they could not look away. Reno was like the hamster running in a wheel. It goes nowhere but is amusing for an inordinate amount of time.

"Why has nobody stopped him?"

The three Turks whipped around to face the voice that had sneaked up from behind. Tseng stood with an unamused expression as he stared past the Turks towards Reno. Not waiting for any type of response, Tseng strode over purposefully and crossed his arms once he reached Reno crouching on the floor near his microwave.

"Yo."

Reno did not spare him a glance and just kept drumming his fingers absentmindedly against the surface. This was not the action Tseng had intended. The field commander frowned then leaned over to pull out the cord. There was loud protesting from Reno, which was readily ignored. Before Reno could actually make a cohesive argument as to why he was going through the hallways with a microwave, Tseng picked up the device. Much to the amusement of the others, Tseng had to keep moving it in various directions in an attempt to keep it away from Reno. A low growl escaped Tseng's throat.

"Could you be any more of a child?"

"No. Now give me back my microwave!"

Rude felt like he should do something, anything, considering it was his partner causing all the fuss. Then again, deep down, he knew how powerless he really was in the grand scheme. But, he did feel a tinge of sympathy for Tseng who was still trying to keep Reno away. By now, Tseng had to keep pushing the redhead out of the way. Rude was curious as to how long this could go on, however, they were all interrupted by another, authoritative, yet mildly amused voice.

"Why is their a struggle in the middle of the hallway over a microwave? Reno, what did you do? Speak up."

With a final elbow shove into Tseng's side, Reno saluted and then pointed accusingly at Tseng.

"He took my microwave. I was getting it back."

A dark cloud passed over Tseng's features before he cleared his throat and attempted to throw on a neutral expression. He motioned to the microwave.

"This isn't an ordinary microwave, sir."

Veld thoughtfully stroked his chin.

"Looks like one to me."

Rude could have sworn that the commander of the Turks, Veld, was teasing Tseng. However, he always had difficulty reading his boss so it could have been something else entirely, but Rude's gut instinct said he was right in his first assumption.

Despite his best efforts, Tseng scowled. He glanced sideways at Reno accusingly before stiffening and explaining the situation.

"As to be expected, Reno could not leave a microwave a microwave. He seems to have made an impromtu EMP device...At least it's not nuclear..."

Tseng added the last bit under his breath but the others could hear it good enough. With all seriousness, Veld nodded his head once and pointed to the microwave.

"Have that sent down to Reeve. Check the drives and everybody else, check your PHS."

Without any questions, all the Turks took out their mobile devices. All of a sudden, Steve started swearing.

"Dammit! He fried the PHS! The newer ones work on chips...Reno!"

"He's right, mine isn't working."

Scott punched a few of the keys on the pad and looked questioningly at Rude who shook his head. All their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something smacking against Reno's head.

"Sir! Tseng just hit me with his PHS!"

"Well, in all honesty, you deserved it Reno."

There was almost a smug grin on Tseng's features as Reno glowered at the commander and then Tseng. Veld remained expressionless through the whole thing. Rude was impressed by the man's ability to not be fazed by anything, no matter how out of place.

"Have your phones sent down to Reeve. The updates might as well be made now. Speaking of which, Reno, what about your PHS?"

"I forgot it."

Steve spluttered and pointed accusingly at him.

"Like hell you forgot! You conniving idiot, you knew exactly not to bring your PHS!"

That was a hard call. Rude studied his partner who was watching Steve yell at him like he was speaking another language. As far as he knew, Reno forgetting his PHS could just as easily be on purpose as it could being on accident. From what he could tell, his partner was not above being absentminded and doing stupid things. On the flip side, he also knew Reno had a more calculating edge that made Rude question some of his "stupid" acts. Or maybe, he was reading into this way too much. Perhaps it would be safer and saner for him to just take things at face value where his partner was concerned. But then, that would be boring, would it not?

"Whatever the case," Veld interrupted the little rant with a slightly more forceful tone of voice, "That saves the time of once again replacing his PHS. Tseng, collect them and send them down to Reeve."

"Yes sir."

With a final glare at Reno, Tseng gathered the PHS devices and stalked down the hallway towards the elevators. Reno let out a dramatic sigh and crossed his arms.

"There goes my afternoon."

"Not necessarily. I want you and Rude in my office in an hour."

Veld curtly nodded his head as Rude and Reno saluted then turned his attention towards Scott and Steve.

"You two, stay put here since you no longer have means of communication. Let the others know as well."

"Yes sir."

Steve was still grumbling as he sulked down the hallway with Scott following right behind. Rude had received his orders so he took it as fine to take his leave. As he was walking down the hallway, he heard Veld address Reno.

"By the way Reno, let me see your hand."

Rude suddenly slowed down his pace to listen in. Sure enough, he heard his partner's defensive voice answer.

"Why? Ain't nothin' worth seeing."

"First off, 'it is nothing worth seeing'. Second, that's an order."

Being sure to not be too obvious, Rude continued to eavesdrop in. He heard nothing for a few minutes before there was an outcry from Reno.

"Not you too! Don't laugh! I swear I'm gonna skin 'im alive!"

He glanced over his shoulder to see Veld walking away shaking his head and Reno huffing at him. Shaking his own head, Rude resumed his normal pace and headed for the elevators.

Upon reaching them, however, he took a right instead of entering them. To the side was a small desk with a petite woman sitting behind clacking away at her keyboard. He walked up to the desk where the woman immediately paused what she was doing and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Sending one letter?"

Rude nodded his head at her inquiry. She absently pushed a stray chunk of brown hair behind her ear before taking the letter. With a quick glance at the address, she swiveled in her chair and quickly filed it in a black tray.

"Your letter will be sent out today at 1700 hours."

"Thanks."

She flashed him a quick, small smile before he face took on the same neutral expression and she went back to staring at her computer screen and clacking away at the keyboard. He just assumed that was his cue to leave. As he walked back towards the apartment, Rude checked his watch to see how much time was left before meeting in Veld's office. There was plenty of time to kill.

As he approached the living quarters, Victoria was just coming out of hers. She waved him down with a smile.

"Hey Rude! So is it true? Did Reno really fry anything with a computer chip?"

"More or less."

"I heard Steve mumbling about it. He had some...colorful things to say about Reno. Guess he really likes his electronics, huh?"

Rude nodded his head slowly. Her comment reminded him of something that had been nagging at him in the back of his mind. He would ask Reno about it later. For now, he just listened to Victoria chat about some quick gossip and that both her and Shanon were summoned as well. He nodded his head again at her farewell and continued to his apartment door.

As he was rummaging for his key, he could faintly hear his partner. It was muffled, so he could not make out any distinct words, but he could tell that he was not happy. Taking a quick sigh, he unlocked and opened the door. Walking in, he found Reno at the sink scrubbing his hand furiously.

"Stupid...Castrate 'im...Kill 'im...Shoot his friggin' head off...Oh hey, Rude. Did ya send yer letter?"

"Yeah."

Rude did not spare him a second glance and headed straight for the living room. He sat down on the couch and picked up the remote. The first thing that appeared on screen when the television was turned on was none other than the president of ShinRa giving his obligatory speech about the recent happenings of the city. From what Rude could tell, everything was under control and there were already leads being followed. Without caring much for what he heard, Rude began to flip through the channels. Images flashed briefly on the screen; news, reality television, soap operas, everything one would expect in the early to mid afternoon. After going through however many channels, Rude finally stopped hitting the button when he saw a movie playing. It was an action flick from a couple of years back. It was the kind where the plot did not matter, only that there were fighting and explosions. Deciding that it was good enough, Rude settled into his seat and watched in silence.

Like every other movie, the story was all the same. Even though it had been on for more than half an hour, it was not difficult to pick up on the plot. Some crazy psychopath was bent on destroying the world because it was not how he envisioned it should be an there was only one person in the entire human population who could stop him. He could not say it was the deepest concept in the world, but it was perfectly enjoyable nonetheless.

The movie progressed in relative silence, punctuated by the occasionally creative use of curse words. All in all, a pleasant enough atmosphere. Time ticked by in relative normalcy but was interrupted when Rude saw his partner curse under his breath as he stormed into his room. There were sounds of things clattering around before Reno reappeared trying to tie a bandage around his hand and failing.

"Should I ask?"

He received no reply, just a huff as Reno plopped down on the couch next to him.

"Whatcha watchin'?"

"Last Fantasia Seven I think."

Rude looked over at his partner to see why he would need a bandage after just washing his hands. He knew he should not be surprised at anything Reno did, but he still found himself intrigued as to how he managed to cut the back of his hand up and make the rest of the skin red and raw. Reno was still trying to wrap it but the bandage kept slipping off. Despite his lack of bandage wrapping skill, Reno kept at it but finally gave up as he became distracted by the movie on the television.

"So if this is the seventh one...why are all of 'em called 'last'?"

"I don't know."

Shaking his head, Rude grabbed the bandage from Reno and set about wrapping it around his partner's hand.

"Oh, thanks. Anyways, f.y.i., steel wool on skin equals some pain."

"I'll tuck that nugget of information away for later use."

It did not take long for him to tie off the end. Reno examined the handiwork and nodded his approval. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of black gloves. They looked much like the ones Rude used except these were cut off at the fingers. Reno flexed his hand a few times and made a fist to stretch them out. Satisfied with everything, he reclined into the couch and turned his attention back to the movie. Keeping the sigh to himself, Rude turned to face the television again and slouched into the couch. They watched the movie in silence until Reno broke it.

"Don't tell the uppers?"

Rude did not look away from the screen.

"Nope."

With that, they went back to watching the movie. The time passed smoothly without a hitch and right when the hero and villain were facing off, Rude turned the television off. As expected, Reno whined.

"Why'd ya do that? It was gettin' to the good part."

"You can rent it later. Meeting, now."

"Oh yeah."

Reno pushed himself to his feet and followed behind Rude. They exited their apartment and headed for the offices. It was an uneventful walk and soon they arrived. Rude politely knocked on the door and before their was any answer, Reno just opened the door and walked in. As was usual, Tseng looked up from the papers he was giving Veld and shot Reno a reproving glare that was easily brushed off. Before any comments could start flying, Victoria and Shanon showed up as well.

"Seeing as you're all here, I'll begin. Shut the door please."

Victoria quickly obeyed and once the door clicked shut, Veld began the mission briefing.

"As you know, relations with Wutai are strained. However, in a show of good will, the president has invited a dignitary from Wutai."

Reno raised his hand but did not wait for permission to speak.

"Your tellin' me they actually agreed?"

"Yes. However, anti-Wutai sentiments still run strong and it will be necessary to prevent any other complications on top of the ones we already have."

Victoria looked thoughtfully at the ceiling a moment before directing her questioning gaze to the commander.

"So we're to protect him and keep this dignitary from being killed? But why tell just us? Shouldn't the others know as well? I mean, they were there for the formal ball."

"Good observation."

Tseng nodded his approval at her and then handed her a folder. She took it and opened it up while the others gathered around her to see what was inside. There was a photograph of a middle-aged Wutaian man in a business suit.

"So boss, do all ya Wutaians look that uptight?"

A small tick suddenly developed under Tseng's left eye. Reno smirked at him resulting in a smack upside the head. Veld cleared his throat.

"As Tseng was saying, our friend here is, and rightfully so, paranoid about coming over. Despite the president's assurance that he would be well protected, he insisted on only his own men. In addition, he wanted as few Turks as possible to be around."

Reno kept his smirk in place as he walked across the floor and leaned up against Veld's desk.

"I'm under the distinct impression there's more to this. So what, was there a threat against the guy?"

Veld glanced disapprovingly at Reno but said nothing about it. He nodded his head though and continued.

"You're correct. There was a threat against the man's life but he still insisted on his own men to handle it. However, we're going to do this our way regardless. To top things off,with the recent breach in security, I'm forced to keep this as low key as possible and don't need to remind any of you of this."

Shanon tossed his hair over his shoulder as he took the folder from Victoria. He flipped through some of the loose pages before closing it.

"These aren't the strongest leads to work with."

"No, they're not." Tseng took the folder from him and set it back on the desk. "However, it's all we have and at this point in time, the less information we have, the better off we'll be. That being said, he's not coming for over a month, so we have time."

"So are main goal in the end is to keep this guy from kickin' the can no matter who wants it or what reason they might have, right?"

"Yes Reno. You, however, have a different mission." Reno cocked an eyebrow at Tseng who handed him a piece of paper. "You will accompany Cissnei and Alexander to Wutai and keep track of things there."

Rude was curious about what Reno was reading on that single piece of paper, but of course, he would not ask. They had their own jobs to do. He watched as his partner's eyes flicked back and forth on the piece paper making sure to pay attention to any type of reaction. Much to his disappointment but not to his surprise, he could not make anything out. Reno just made a bored grunt as he began folding the paper into a small airplane. He stood up from the desk and waltzed to the door.

"Got it bosses...but I better get paid overtime."

The paper airplane was launched from his hand and sailed through the air. It hit Tseng in the forehead causing Reno to start to snicker. Tseng just closed his eyes and appeared to be taking a deep breath. Veld finished off for him.

"We'll see. The rest of you, you know what to do so do it. You're dismissed."

"Sir."

They saluted and exited the office to find Reno already halfway down the hallway. Shanon shrugged showing that he did not care what the redhead was up to. Victoria giggled softly.

"He seemed entertained with his mission, didn't he?"

Shanon ran his hand through his hair getting stuck when he reached a knot in it. He fiddled with it while talking.

"He probably gets to kill or destroy something or another. Let him do what he wants. It sounds like he won't be around for a little while. I guess I'll get some peace and quiet around here."

He finally managed to undo the knot and looked infinitely pleased with himself. Victoria took out a comb from her inner jacket pocket and handed it to Shanon who gratefully took it.

"So do we get free reign to do what we want so long as nobody else finds out?"

Rude nodded his head once. That indeed seemed like the case. Everything needed to be kept quiet and they had next to no leads. This was turning out to be a fantastic case. With a thoughtful look to the ceiling Victoria let out a sigh.

"I guess we should periodically meet up, huh?"

"I agree. How about we meet at Rude's place should we find anything since his partner is going to be gone. Does that work?"

"Yes."

They made final arrangements and then went off to do their own thing. Rude walked back to his apartment to see what Reno was up to. His thoughts turned towards his time at ShinRa as he walked. For some reason, Reno tended to take most of his energy and time. He thought for sure he would either be off by himself or hanging out and doing things with other people upon arrival. However, Rude found himself curiously involved in whatever his partner was up to.

When he reached the door to their living space, the door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and then closed it once inside. He heard some noises from Reno's room and went over to investigate. The door was wide open and Rude leaned in the doorway. A plain, worn out black backpack laid on the bed next to a small pile of clothing haphazardly thrown into a pile. Reno himself was on his hands and knees and halfway in his closet. Before long, he scooted backwards and stood up with another old bag. Rude seriously considered buying him new luggage seeing as everything was faded, worn-out and miraculously still in one piece.

"I leave tonight apparently. Man, they really don't give a guy much warning, do they?"

He tossed the bag onto the floor and walked over to his bed with the various apparel strewn across it. Thinking he was just going to shove it all in the bag, Rude was surprised when Reno began methodically folding his clothing. As Rude continued to watch, he found that his partner had a very particular way of folding his clothes. After memorizing the exact steps, Rude turned his attention to the rest of Reno's room. Just as it was the last time he got a good sight of his partner's room, he was impressed by the cleanliness of it all. At least, it seemed like it, though Rude could not say it was that exactly. It was more ordered than anything else. There was no real rhyme or reason to any of the various objects he kept, but there was always a clear pattern to it. In all honesty, Rude found it fairly amusing.

After carefully placing the clothing in the duffel bag on the floor, Reno moved over to his dresser and opened the third drawer from the top. He appeared to be rummaging around for something and after a while, he had an armful of various weaponry, most of it either materia or ammunition. He walked over and set it on the bed, then grabbed the old backpack sitting nearby. Unzipping it, Reno held it open with one hand and began carelessly tossing the objects into the bag with his other hand. Once those objects were tossed in, he walked into the bathroom and came back out with a sealed bag of cosmetics including a saline solution, toothbrush, various other toiletries, and most interestingly of all, liquid foundation and powder. Rude was puzzled by this. He knew plenty of women who wore it, he was even sure Victoria wore it and maybe Shanon, but he was not expecting Reno to have it. Then again, who was he to question his partner now? For all he knew, Reno moonlighted as a transvestite or something. That was actually a particularly frightening thought and an image he did not need.

"You okay? You look like ya saw a ghost or somethin'."

"It's nothing."

Reno just shrugged and tossed the items into his backpack. Looking around his room with his hands on his hips, Reno finally seemed satisfied and zipped up both bags.

"Alright. I'm set. So, wanna get somethin' to eat? I got some time before I leave and I think it would be nice to say goodbye to our lovely city before I leave for a while."

"Sure."

He moved from the doorway and let Reno exit.

"Great. I know a good place we can go. C'mon."

Rude followed slightly behind his partner as he was led out of the building and into the streets. People were just now getting off from work and the hazy sun was beginning to set. They walked casually down the street, Reno doing most of the inane talking. In not too long of time, they approached Sector Eight. Right at the entrance Rude was greeted by a giant poster advertising "Loveless." As he looked around, the whole place was filled with various advertisements for it. They were definitely in Sector Eight.

His partner led him down a street affectionately called Loveless Avenue. Soon, they were in a large open square framed by various restaurants and coffee shops with a large, elaborate fountain in the center. Across the way was the intended restaurant and before they arrived, Reno managed to explain the entire menu. From what Rude could gather, the food was not all that great, the price was a bit high and it got noisy. It seemed to fit with his partner.

"Your usual, sir?"

"Yup."

Reno winked at the hostess who blushed and led them through a winding set of tables and chairs. They were led into the back corner and given a couple of menus when they sat down.

"I don't suggest getting anything seafood here...You're safe with a sandwich or burger or somethin' like that."

"...Right."

In the end, Rude settled for a regular cheeseburger while Reno ordered some sort of pseudo pasta dish an was currently playing with the noodles. True to his words, the food was not anything to write home about and the price certainly did not seem worth it. As they were sitting and waiting for the check, Reno leaned forward so he could prop his head up on the table.

"Yup. This is a good place to go. My special little spot. You might consider visiting it sometimes while I'm gone. That pretty lady up front knows yer face now so she'll always take ya to this table."

Rude was still trying to process what made this restaurant so good to his partner. He briefly wondered if it was because of the hostess, but he treated her just like every other female he met. As for always getting this table, he found himself not enjoying the noise generated by the kitchen with all its clanging and banging of dishes. Not to mention there was an abundant amount of yelling from the chef. Some poor food runner did not get the food out fast enough and he, plus Rude, were getting an earful.

"Ah, don't worry. Ya get used to it. Anyways, just drop by here on your own sometime and see what happens. Just don't bring anybody with you. It gets complicated that way. So, ya gonna remember this place?"

"Hard not to."

"Good!"

Without much more of an explanation, Reno slid out of the booth and reached into his jacket. He pulled out a small folded wad of gil and tossed it on the table. Rude took it to mean that Reno did not give a damn about the bill and chances were, the restaurant would not complain about it.

When he got outside and a little ways away from the restaurant, Rude found the now evening air to be refreshing, at least, in comparison to the air, or lack of, at the restaurant. They walked back in relative silence with Reno only chatting once and a while. The topic varied and Rude did not pay attention that much. As always, his partner either did not notice or did not care. He just continued to walk and talk about whatever he felt like.

By the time they arrived at the ShinRa building, most of the employees were already gone and the usually busy entranceway was deserted save for a couple of lone guards. Reno casually waved at them as he walked over to the elevators. He pushed the up button and, due to the lack of traffic, the cart arrived in no time. Reno swiped his card through the reader then pressed the switch for the upper levels.

Unlike the lower parts of the building, the higher levels were still active. As Rude stepped out of the elevator, he saw some of the other Turks milling around in the hallway or others ran around with various papers.

"Guess everybody's busy, huh?"

"Yeah."

Reno reached into his left pocket, then his right. He then checked his inner jacket pockets. Rude was about to just take out his key, but Reno stopped him.

"No, no. I know it's here and we'll use it...dammit...Here, hold this a minute."

A lighter was placed in Rude's hand, then a pen, then two mechanical pencils. This was all followed by a small bunch of paper clips held together by multiple rubber bands and a spool of fine wire. What Reno did with a spool of wire in his pocket, Rude did not know and did not want to know.

"Ah-ha! I found it!"

He finally pulled out the key and opened the door. As it swung open, he took the items from Rude and placed them back in their various hiding places. Once the last item was handed over, Rude did not wait for his partner and just walked in. He heard the door shut behind him as he walked into his room. He took off his jacket and hung it up nicely on the hanger.

"Alrighty, so I'm leavin' now. Try to behave and not get yerself killed, ya?"

Reno had a cheery grin on his face as he adjusted the strap of his backpack. It almost looked like he was going off to college of something. He had already changed clothing. Rude recognized it from the night he pilfered it from the drunk down at Corneo's place. The whole faded look still seemed like a perfectly good waste of new material, but then, he could never claim to have too much of an eye for fashion. Speaking of which, Rude was also mildly curious as to whether Reno's bags were actually worn out or just made to appear that way.

"I'll try my hardest. Don't blow anything up."

"I make no guarantee." He turned to leave, but glanced over his shoulder with a smirk. "But if I do, I'll be sure you know about it."

Reno waved over his shoulder and left the apartment without any more ado. Rude just shook his head and pulled off his tie. He would have to keep an eye on the news now.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope it was good and hopefully there were also less mistakes than the previous one. Anyways, hopefully by the next chapter, a month (in the story anyways) has passed and we can get to some fun action-y stuff. Yes, action-y...I love the dash and addition of a "y." It makes a word sound more like an adjective. Not that it's relavent or anything. Speaking of irrelavent, I want to see Resident Evil Degeneration. The new trailer makes me happy. Whatever. Please let me know what you think or whatever it is you want to say. In the end, I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this. Ciao!


	23. Academy

"_In recent news, tensions in Wutai continue to escalate as an explosion occurred earlier. No fatalities are reported though casualties are high."_

Rude choked on his coffee when he heard the news anchor explain the recent event. He set his cup down and reached into his jacket. Unfolding the piece of paper, Rude re-read the note his partner had sent him yesterday.

_Yo! See, told you I'd write a letter. By the way, hope you don't mind but I took those two _

_explosives you made. That being said, watch the news for the next couple of days. Hopefully _

_things aren't shot too shot to hell back home. Anyways, talk to you later, maybe. _

_Reno_

Turning his attention back to the television screen, Rude grabbed the controller to turn up the volume. The news anchor was now showing a clip of the rubble of the unfortunate building. People were scrambling around trying to put out any remaining flames while emergency vehicles carted people away.

"_The explosion was recorded by a tourist who happened to be passing by. We now take a look."_

An image of an old looking building, reminiscent of a pagoda, appeared on screen through a shaky camera lens. The image would shift every now and then as it seemed the person recorded it was trying to walk and film simultaneously. It was even more awkward looking as it appeared to be filmed from quite a distance. There were some muffled noises then all of a sudden, the building burst into pieces. Sparks of varying color shot all over the place while the building collapsed in on itself in a painfully slow manner. Muffled sounds of what could be swearing were heard as the recorder started running towards the scene. The feed was then cut off and the news anchor was once more on screen. Rude felt a slight twitch begin to develop under his eye but he quickly shook his head and grabbed his cup of coffee. After finishing it in a few large gulps, Rude put the cup down and continued to watch.

"_Authorities say they were sent a note, most likely from the one responsible for the explosion. We are now going to read the letter, but we warn he viewers now,there is some swearing in it."_

Rude eagerly waited to hear the content of the note. Despite the overwhelming set of coincidences, he had to be certain.

"_I came, I saw, I blew shit up. It was fantastic. And a shout out to my partner in crime who makes this colorful shit!"_

He let his head drop but instead of the usual sigh, a low chuckle rumbled from Rude's chest. It was official. His partner stayed true to his word that he would blow something up and let him know about it. In all actuality, Rude was surprised it had taken this long for him to do something. Not exactly known for his subtle approach to things, he figured Reno would have blown something up before he even landed. Instead, a week had passed in total silence for Wutai. It had been an even quieter week in the ShinRa offices. No signs of activity were reported in the city or outside of Midgar for that matter. So far, the search for the terrorist suspects was turning up nothing. All in all, everything was just plain slow.

"_There were reports that one of the aides to Godo Kisaragi was in the building at the time, however, he escaped with minor injuries. He says that he will not be deterred by such reckless and violent activity and will continue to tour the country and will still appear next month in Midgar."_

Now Rude was somewhat confused. Why would his partner blow up the building where the man ShinRa wanted alive was staying? Reckless and violent fit perfectly with the situation as Rude still tried to figure out Reno's angle. He turned off the television while he stood up and grabbed his cup. Walking over to the kitchen sink, he deposited the mug in the basin and filled with water. Normally, he would have rinsed it and set it on the drying rack, but since his partner was not there to nag him about it, he just left it. It was not that he was a messy person by nature, he just did not see why things needed to be rinsed and dried or why he was usually not allowed to just throw it in the dishwasher and just let it sit until it was full. As far as he knew, the role of a dishwasher was to wash the dishes. If he ever did use the dishwasher when Reno was around, he had to do a preliminary rinsing before putting them in.

The others had asked him multiple times why he always went along with Reno's odd requests. Then, on multiple occasions, he tried to convey that they were not suggestions. Unfortunately, he had trouble expressing that they were not orders either. It was more like he did not want to see Reno quietly obsess like he did the few times Rude forgot himself. While most would be happy to let their roommate clean up the dishes, Rude found it mildly amusing and somewhat annoying. For the most part, Reno could care less about what he did, but on certain things, like dish washing, he was set on his way, no matter how odd is seemed, and felt the need to correct things to match his fancy. Rude was still trying to figure out where this all stemmed from, but from what he could tell, Reno did not even know he did it, only that if it was not done that particular way, he would start twitching nervously. He tried to bring it to his partner's attention on different occasions, but Reno just shrugged, told him that he did not know, and then fixed it.

Shaking his head, Rude left the kitchen area and left. He was meeting with Victoria for an early morning exploration of the city. Checking his watch, he arrived at the elevators right on time and sure enough, Victoria just walked up.

"Morning! Hey, did you see the news?"

Rude nodded his head. He had already mentally prepared himself for just about everybody he would meet to ask him about the news. Sometimes he could strangle his partner for the attention he brought.

"Reno blew something up."

Giggling, Victoria quickly slapped her hand over her mouth and blushed.

"Oh my. I shouldn't laugh at that...but I..pfft...I can't help it! That just screamed Reno. Never one for the subtle approach."

The doors to the elevator slid open and any humor in the air was sucked in by the tense and quite angry air hanging around Heidegger. He eyed both Rude and Victoria before stepping off and pushing by the two Turks. Rude glanced over his shoulder to see Heidegger marching straight for Tseng's office. Rude inwardly cringed at the earful Tseng was going to get.

"I'm going to assume Heidegger was not happy with the news this morning."

Victoria shook her head as she stepped in the elevator. Rude was not far behind her. When the doors shut, Victoria let out a long sigh.

"Why's that man always got to come barging around here? I don't see his precious SOLDIER doing much else."

"I agree."

She appeared to lighten up with that agreement. The elevator stopped only a couple more floors before the doors slid open and they stepped out into the main lobby. Various grunts and employees were milling around or rushing to their desk. Only a few public civilians were inside. Rude guess they were heading for the aircraft museum. It was a popular place for many to visit. As always, nobody spared Rude or Victoria a sideways glance as they resolutely walked for the doors. Even outside the building they were readily ignored. Everything was just how Rude like it.

"So, Sector Six slums, right?"

Rude nodded at Victoria's inquiry. They had been progressively working their way around the different sectors. It was not as difficult as it first seemed since some of the city had yet to be built, but still, there were enough nooks and crannies to warrant a thorough search. Between Rude, Victoria, and Shanon, they had already performed a general run of the city, but now spent time searching each sector, above and below, far more thoroughly. Today, Shanon was called in to be part of Rufus' personal guard so for a change of pace, Rude and Victoria decided to partner up.

They soon arrived at their destination and began the tedious process of asking around without being too obvious. Well, not too obvious in what information they were looking for. The suits alone made them obvious enough. Local after local was asked about the tensions between Wutai and ShinRa in the hopes that some sort of hint or indication of any activity could be picked up. However, just as every previous time, their search turned up empty. Rude lost track of how many blocks they trekked through, but when he checked his watch, it was already approaching noon. They had started at nine.

"Anything?"

"No."

Victoria sighed softly in defeat and slumped up against a wall. Rude remained stoic as ever as he crossed his arms and scanned the area. They were approaching the boundary point between sectors and they had nothing to work with.

"This is so getting us nowhere...I better head back. I promised Shanon I would go to lunch with him after he got done with bodyguard duty. I hoe that's okay?"

"Of course. Have fun."

She pushed herself off the wall with renewed energy and practically bounced up and down as she walked away while waving over her shoulder. Rude watched her leave before uncrossing his arms and popping the joints in his neck. Not having any particular appointment or destination, Rude settled for wandering the rest of the sector before heading back up.

As he was walking, Rude noticed the crowd thinning out and the atmosphere changing. It was lighter now and the oppressive smell of crowded people and dirty streets faded into something sweeter. Looking around, something in the distance caught Rude's eye. It was a small patch of color next to what appeared to be a small house. Unlike the others, this one had a more homely feeling to it and the area around it became more beautiful the closer he got. To his right, he saw that the patch of color was actually a patch of well maintained flowers. He paused in his steps to just watch the blooms stand proud and tall. It was such a weird sight to behold even above the plates, let alone below. Sunlight barely filtered through, certainly not enough to grow flowers. Whoever had planted them and maintained them was somebody special. Rude absentmindedly wondered if Reno knew about this place. He filed it away to ask when he got a chance.

Tearing his eyes away, Rude resumed walking and did not spare a second glance back. By the time he finished up the sector, his stomach was loudly protesting at being ignored. Looking around, Rude tried to decide what he wanted to eat. He had made his way to above the plates once again and was sitting on a bench. Something so mundane as picking food should not be so difficult. Normally, he would find the first place that seemed to serve edible food and just go for it. However, today, he felt like being picky even though he wanted food immediately. Nothing stuck out to him as appealing, even as he continued to walk through the sectors. In the end, he decided that he would keep walking and would eat at the first thing that caught his interest and if there was not, he would say that he did another scan of the city before circling around back to headquarters.

Sure enough, nothing stuck out as appetizing to him and he was now in Sector 8. He was close to headquarters. As he walked past the Loveless posters plastered along the wall, Rude paused a moment and glanced down the street. Without putting much thought into it, Rude walked down the path and turned another corner. Soon, he was in the square where Reno had taken him before he left for Wutai. Not that he cared for the food, but Rude was tired and hungry and wanted to eat. He was here, he might as well.

He walked up to the corner restaurant and the hostess happily waved and grabbed a menu. Before he could say anything, she was already motioning for Rude to follow her. Reno was right, they knew who he was and as predicted, sat him at the far back table next to the obscenely loud kitchen. Telling him his waiter would be with him shortly, Rude nodded and picked up the menu. Learning from his previous experience, it would not be foolish to try something new. As he was perusing the menu, he was aware that somebody came up and slid into the booth across from him. Without much motion, Rude lowered his menu a fraction to see who had sit down with him. On a good note, the person did not have a weapon or appear threatening. On a bad note, he did not appear to fit in either.

The person across from him was an older man, somebody Rude guessed to be in his fifties. The man did not seem to even acknowledge Rude as he rested his elbows on the table like a child. His attention was flicking back and forth across the room. Rude set the menu down slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements, and shifted in his seat before addressing the man before him.

"Do I know you?"

At first, he received no response, but right before Rude was about to reiterate his question with more force, the man suddenly shifted his gaze towards Rude.

"No, you don't know me. But I know who you are. Red told you about this place, so you're with him."

Rude was going to go on the not too wild assumption that "Red" was Reno. As he steadied his stare into the man's eyes, Rude noticed the milky film that seemed to be over his eyes. Though many questions could be asked, such as how he knew Reno, how he knew who he was, or anything along those lines, the only question he had was how in the world did a blind man know Reno was a redhead? Then again, his partner could have told him, but still, he could not stop the question from floating across his mind.

"Yes."

Rude did a double take.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, Red told me he was redheaded. Give a man some credit why dontcha?"

He let out an exasperated sigh at Rude and shook his head. At the moment, Rude felt like that should be his action. Instead, Rude remained calm with his hands folded neatly in front of him. He was going to ask what the man wanted, but before he could, the waitress came up.

"What can I get you guys today?"

Without waiting for any invitation or introduction, the man across from him told her he wanted his usual. The waitress nodded and jotted something down on her notepad before turning her attention to Rude.

"Turkey sandwich."

"Alrighty. It'll be up shortly."

She bounced off to another table leaving the two men to themselves again. Rude turned his attention back to the man across from him who was once more darting his eyes across the room, almost in a paranoid manner. It was beginning to irritate Rude.

"What? Just 'cause a blind man looks around, he's suddenly suspicious? Where do they pick up you people?"

Whether he was really blind or not, Rude was about ready to lean over and smack him around a bit. But being the calm and collected person he was, he reigned in on his more violent instincts and settled on stewing over how this man was leading the conversation.

"Don't get all tense. You need to relax a little more. Like your partner. So, what should I call you? I believe he told me you were bald. So I'll call you Baldy. Well, Baldy, I take it you want to know about recent activity about a certain group."

There was no deliberate smugness, but the man across from him was not forthcoming with anything but in a far more natural manner than most others. Rude was beginning to become curious and suspicious of his table guest.

"Yes. I am."

"Man of few words are you? Hm, maybe you can teach that little punk some lesson in silence. Anyways, enough idle chit chat, I'm here to give you what you want. That is, if you want to hear it of course. I force nothing. It's all your choice."

Everything was said in a rapid manner, as if he had no time to spare or he would run out of time to say what he wanted. He continued to scan the room while he waited for Rude to answer. After the week he had, Rude would be damned if he let any type of information get away.

"I'll hear it."

"Good. I knew you would. But enough on that. Food."

As he spoke, the waitress came to their table with two plates of food. She set down the dishes and double checked to make sure there was nothing else that was needed. Rude almost missed what she said with the noise, but shook his head. He assumed the man across from him was content as he was already scarfing down his meal. It was the one dish that Reno said to stay away from. The fish sandwich. What little he saw of the meat, he was certain that no fish filet should have that kind of coloration. Swallowing down the bile threatening to come up, Rude turned his attention to his own, far more appealing sandwich. Rude started into his meal, somewhat annoyed at being interrupted, but seeing as he was the one in want, he needed to play it out patiently. Besides, the sooner they both finished the sooner he could get his information.

They ate in silence and ate with determination. Rude knew why he was determined to finish his meal, but he could not understand what was making the man across from him so determined. Despite the fact that he started after, Rude managed to finish first and was now calmly sipping his lemonade while he studied his new companion. It did not take too much longer for him to finish. He practically licked the plate clean and wiped his mouth off with his napkin before grabbing his beverage and taking a long drink from it. When he finally set it down and wiped his mouth again, he leaned back and stared straight at Rude.

"Alright, you didn't hear this from me. Words out that an eco-friendly group is out making a crusade against the company are being backed by another group from Wutai. Problem is, nobody knows who they are or whom they are affiliated with. We all know the economy isn't that great so that means money is coming in from somewhere else on top of that. However, there is something going on involving next month's guest of honor and he himself is aware of the obvious target on his head. He still plans on coming though. Supposedly, he's been cool about everything, the various threats he's received and the threat of coming to Midgar, but for some reason, the earlier bombing left him quite shaken up."

Rude was glad that he was trained to retain information given at a quick pace. Not to mention he was used to hearing things go fast from his partner at times. The man across from him was totally silent again and staring across the restaurant room. He suddenly nodded lightly a few times before standing up and leaving. Rude watched him carelessly navigating the tables and waited for him to be completely out of sight before sighing and slouching in his seat. That was the most unexpected event to happen to him for a while. A good change of pace, but next time, he would like more warning. As he sat there, the waitress came up and dropped off the check. It seemed this was the man's price for information. He was a cheap customer. Now Rude knew why Reno told him to come here sometime and judging from the paranoid manner of his guest, he also suspected that was why his partner told him to come alone. However creepy that encounter was, Rude was satisfied with the information. Nothing too enlightening, but certainly better than anything that had come up previously.

With a slightly brighter outlook on the day, Rude took his leave and headed back to headquarters. He wanted to talk to Tseng about what he had just learned. Mulling over the information in his mind, Rude wondered how that person came to know it. But, not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, Rude decided to just keep the information and be thankfully it only cost him a creepy lunch hour.

He repeated the information back to himself as he waited for the elevator. It took longer to get to his floor since every other employee decided to ride the same one. At long last, it stopped on his floor and he was able to get off. On his way down the hallway, he ran into Scott and Steve.

"Hey Rude! Where have you been? I thought you were out with Victoria?"

"We split up."

Rude did not feel particularly inclined to stand around and chat. He hoped his simple answer was enough to let them know he wanted to leave, but of course, Rude did not have that kind of luck. Instead, it became more of an open invitation for Steve to continue talking.

"Split up, huh? Man, what have you guys been up to? Between Shanon, you, and Victoria, I feel like something is going on. Care to fill me in?"

"No."

"So there is something?"

"No."

"Well, how about Reno? Hear from him?...Other than the news this morning, I mean."

"No."

Finally, Rude was getting results. Not that keeping his answers short were uncommon, it was effective in sending the message that he had nothing to say. Scott, at least, picked up on it, and nodded his head.

"Always the talkative one. Well, we're off to recruit some more people for SOLDIER, so have a good day."

"Thanks. You too."

Steve looked like he wanted to say something else, but Scott grabbed his elbow and forcefully pulled him away telling him he was wasting everybody's time going on like that. Rude watched them walk down the hallway and had the oddest thought of those two going on a date rather than a mission. Suddenly, with a shudder, he shook his head of that train of thought before it led to scary mental images. He silently cursed his partner for being the first one to even bring such a thing up. Sometimes, he wished people, especially his partner, just knew how to shut up and keep their thoughts to themselves.

With another small shudder, Rude continued on his way to the offices and paused outside of Tseng's door. He knocked lightly on the door and entered when he heard permission to do so.

Tseng was sitting at his desk reading through a large packet of papers. Rude shut the door behind him and walked so that he was standing right in front of the desk. With a final glance, Tseng set the papers down and folded his hands on the desk.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I've learned some information while I was out."

At this, Tseng suddenly straightened just a little in his seat and leaned forward.

"Pertaining to the terrorists, I hope?"

"Yes sir."

Tseng motioned for Rude to take a seat in a chair and proceed with the report.

"The terrorist group is being backed by a group in Wutai who is in turn being backed financially by another, unknown source."

"Which I'm going to assume has something to do with our visitor next month?"

Rude nodded at the inquiry before continuing.

"He is known to be calm about any and all threats, the only exception being the explosion this morning."

A light bulb seemed to go off in Tseng's head as he leaned back in his chair and made a thoughtful "hm" noise.

"How reliable is this information?"

"Reliable."

"I see."

He figured that if Reno trusted the guy enough to get information from him, then Rude would go out on a limb as well. Besides, it was nothing of too extreme importance and any information thus far was better than anything they had going for them. And having repeated the information, more things suddenly began to make more sense and he did not like where it was taking him.

"Excellent work. It seems our friend next month will be far more interesting to protect than before, wouldn't you agree?"

Nodding his head, Rude made to stand up but was stopped by Tseng who motioned for him to remain sitting.

"Incidentally, this morning's little fireworks display, did you really make those explosives?"

A small grin worked its way onto Tseng's face and Rude had to fight the urge to drop his head into his hands. When he made them, he had assumed they would be used to blow up some executives car or something along those lines. He was not anticipating his partner using it to perform terrorist activities and assassination attempts.

"Yes sir."

"So I've officially partnered a bomb maker and a gleefully destructive individual together? I had to listen to Heidegger yell for almost a straight hour. You wouldn't happen to know why Reno chose to do this?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Without much else to be said, Tseng dismissed Rude. As he was getting ready to leave, the door to the office swung open and Rufus Shinra almost slammed right into him.

"Tseng, I heard the Turks were looking into the academy for potential new recruits. I'm going as well."

Not batting an eyelash, Tseng calmly addressed the young heir.

"For what reason? Such a thing is not normally-"

He was interrupted by the sound of clicking heels and the figure of a tall, slender woman standing in the doorway. She was slightly out of breath and tucked a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear.

"Mr. Rufus, there you are. I was looking all over for you. I thought today you would be so kind as to take a look at the new developments I've made."

Rufus disdainfully turned his nose up at her and crossed his arms with an air of superiority.

"As thrilling as that sounds, I'm unfortunately occupied as I am going to the military academy to view potential Turk recruits."

"But Mr. Rufus, you can't go alone. That effeminate excuse of a man is off duty now. I don't think-"

"Rude's going with me."

Rude blinked twice as this sudden revelation was sprung on him. The woman in the doorway stared in disbelief, first at Rufus, then at Rude. She leaned forward and Rude mentally checked himself to make sure he did not take a step back.

"Another one of the new ones. Hmph, fine. But seriously sir, I ask that you visit soon. If you'd like, you can bring this one along. He seems like the strong type who can handle anything I throw at him. Kya hahaha!"

If Heidegger's laugh as a donkey having an asthma attack, this woman was a dying penguin on helium. All three men took deep breaths as they patiently waited for her to leave. Once she was down the hallway, Rufus slammed the door shut and furiously picked at invisible flint on his suit.

"I see. That's your reason. Very well, Rude, if you don't mind?"

"Sir."

Rude saluted and Rufus said nothing as he opened the door and stalked out. With a sidelong glance at Tseng, who mouthed a silent, "I'm sorry," Rude obediently followed behind the president's son. They walked in silence with Rufus in the lead. When they reached the elevators, Commander Veld was already there, waiting for them. He did not seem the least surprised to see Rude or Rufus.

He said nothing but nodded politely at Rufus who acknowledged him with a glance before stepping into the elevator. The whole trip down was quiet and uneventful and Rude appreciated that. They stepped out of the elevators when they reached garage level. At this point, Rude had no idea what vehicle they were supposed to take since it was filled with every kind of vehicle known to man. Instead, Veld led them to an unimpressive, generic, black SUV while fishing for the key in his pocket. He unlocked the vehicle and as standard protocol, Rufus took the backseat while Rude took shotgun.

The engine was started up and soon, they were up the ramp and on the busy streets. Despite the claustrophobic traffic, it did not take that long to reach their destination. Veld pulled into the parking lot and parked off to the side near a back entrance. Upon getting out of the vehicle. Rude was pulled down memory lane as he stared up at the impressive building of the ShinRa Military Academy.

It was one of the top schools in the world and as the name implied, funded by ShinRa. Only the top went here, and those that did attend, became employees in some department of the company. Some students started as early as kindergarten and it even went up to university level. Though it was not too many months ago, Rude still felt like it had been forever since he had seen the familiar, austere building.

Veld led the way with Rufus in the middle and Rude following close behind. They entered through the back entrance and were immediately greeted by an elderly woman in a military uniform. She saluted smartly at the commander who saluted back.

"We've been expecting you. Mr. Rufus Shinra, it is an honor for you to come in person. And is that...Rude? My, look at you. I knew you had potential."

Rude saluted reminding himself of his days spent here and how often he had the same woman yelling in his face because his shirt was not tucked in properly. However now, she was saluting and Rude imagined that he saw a hint of pride in her gaze. The moment was short lived though as she began explaining the graduating set of students. As they walked down the hallways, Rude recognized the various doors and the students they passed quickly moved to the side and saluted as they walked past. More than one lingered just a little bit longer to stare at Rude. They were discouraged though, when the woman paused and shot them a withering glare. Rude lost track of how many times he was on the receiving end of that particular look.

"Since I do not believe you have been here before, perhaps you would like to tour the school?"

Rufus seemed to consider her proposal a minute before nodding his head.

"Very good sir. Rude, escort him around."

"Yes ma'am."

Right on cue, Rude immediately snapped to attention and saluted. She approved of the response and resumed walking. After she was a distance away, Rude finally let himself relax. He looked to his side and found Rufus staring at him with an amused smirk on his face.

"That explains so much, right there. Now, what's wroth seeing at this place? Where do most loiter around here while not trying to impress their teachers?"

"The back field."

"Then let's go."

Rude nodded his head once and led Rufus down the series of hallways ignoring all the envious looks and lovestruck stares aimed at Rufus. Figures he would stick out here. They walked in silence, Rude talking only when Rufus asked him a question about a particular room or activity the school participated in. They went out a set of double doors and were now outside. Rude did not think anything could go wrong here, of all places, but wanting to err on the side of caution, he kept a sharp look out as he led Rufus to the back fields. After weaving around buildings, they finally arrived.

Like the rest of the grounds, everything was perfectly manicured and the perfectly manicured students milled around. Some were in the spacious open area playing soccer while others, many of them girls, sat off to the side and gossiped.

Rufus looked around a moment and Rude noted how out of place he appeared. Of course, Rufus could care less and, just as if he were a student, he began walking around the field. Not wanting to crowd him and draw more attention to him, Rude hung back just a little and observed all the students who happened to be in the vicinity.

"I heard they're looking for more recruits for the Turks because all of them are getting knocked off."

"Shh! You shouldn't talk so loudly."

His attention was drawn to the conversation he just happened to pick up on. It seemed Rufus was also interested in it.

"What? It's not like there's one right around the corner or something!"

The girl who spoke stood up and dusted off her skirt. One of her friends still sitting tugged on the hem.

"You never know and with the way your voice carries, I wouldn't be surprised if the president himself heard you."

She shook her head causing the two blond pigtails to bounce around before she assertively placed her hands on her hips. Her friend did have good observational skills. Her voice did carry.

"Hmph. I don't see what's so great about the Turks. It's not like they're that great or something."

"You're just jealous of your sister."

A look of pure surprise graced her young features as she almost pounced on her friend. She had the other girl by the collar of her shirt and was getting ready to shake her back and forth when the others around her pulled on her pigtails making her let go. She scoffed and crossed her arms.

"I'm not jealous of her! She's just too uptight about becoming a Turk. Father is even worse. Just because he's a teacher here doesn't mean he has to watch and interfere with my life. They're just not all that special...that's all."

Rude looked over at Rufus who now had his arms crossed and stood in a relaxed position. From what little expression he wore, Rude definitely saw amusement in that smirk. Mentally sighing, Rude turned his attention back to the outspoken girl hoping she did not say anything to irk Rufus the wrong way.

"Okay, say you're right, in your delusions, but wouldn't it be worth it just to be able to be around Rufus Shinra?"

There was a general murmur of consensus and giggles about how "hawt" he looked among the girls causing the smirk on Rufus' face to grow just a little bit more. As he predicted, the loudest one had an opinion on that one as well.

"What's with you? You don't just go for a job because of some rich pretty boy!"

"You do when it's Rufus freakin' Shinra. Have you even seen him?"

"Of course!"

Before she could say anything else, the other girls started to zero in on her.

"You don't think he's good looking?"

"I can't believe you. If you don't think he's just gorgeous, I don't really want to know what you find attractive."

A bright red shade painted the blond girl's cheeks and nose as she started huffing and puffing looking for the right words.

"Aargh! Would you shut up! I'm not saying he isn't a looker. I'm just saying it's not the only reason you bet a job. Of course he's like the hottest guy on the planet!"

"I knew I was handsome, but the 'hottest guy on the planet?' I think I might be flattered."

Rude had to keep himself from slapping his forehead when Rufus' confident smirk grow any larger and he could not resist butting in. He sent out mental sympathies for the young girl. This was an awkward situation, and Rude was not even the one who made the comment.

All the girls suddenly froze in place, mouths hanging open. The girl who made the comment kept her back to Rufus but was stiff as a wood board. In a painfully slow manner, she turned around with her eyes closed tightly. One eye cautiously revealed itself and when she finally got a glimpse, both eyes shot open and Rude thought she might just prostrate herself on the ground from the way she started bowing.

"I'm sorry. I'm soooooo sorry, sir, Ru-Mr. Shinra, sir! Please forgive my rudeness!"

She remained bowing as Rufus continued to stand with his arms crossed arrogantly. So far, he appeared just amused and Rude hoped that would remain the case. They did not say anything wrong and only complimented him, so he assumed Rufus would just soak it in or something. Then again, it was Rufus Shinra. There was no predicting what he would do next.

"Stop bowing."

"Yes sir!"

She snapped up smartly and saluted. The reaction caused the side of Rufus' mouth twitch briefly. The girl remained in the same position and Rude could tell that she was holding her breath.

"Name."

"Elena, sir!"

The girls around her stood awkwardly and fiddled with the hems of their skirts. From the different reactions, Rude guess that only this Elena girl was going into the company's more active division while her friends were here to learn how to enter the corporate world.

"Elena. I'll remember it. Now, all of you, go do something more productive."

"Sir!"

Elena stiffened up her salute than quickly marched away the other girls trailing behind her nodding timidly at Rufus as they passed by. Rufus inclined his head to the side so he could watch them leave and he moved only when they disappeared around a corner. With a soft "hmph," Rufus reached into his pocket and pulled out his PHS to check the time.

"Let's get back."

"Sir."

Rude led him back the way they came assuming the commander and the headmistress to be towards the special gym where the potential recruits were kept. They walked the expansive hallways and finally wound up at two metal double doors. Rude opened them and let Rufus inside.

For starters, the room they were in was no standard gymnasium. It was too large and too technologically advanced for that. Rude looked around and studied the mass of bodies going through various exercises. He studied their uniforms and found a mix of different year students. They ranged from college freshmen to seniors. Standing in the far corner was Veld and the headmistress.

"Welcome back. Enjoy the tour sir?"

Rufus nodded his head and took a position next to the headmistress. Rude took position right behind. Veld motioned to a group in the corner.

"Over there. The young woman with blond hair."

Both Rude and Rufus turned their attention to the appointed girl. She was standing in a line of other students firing weapons at paper targets in the distance. Her hair was cropped short and she had a serious and determined expression on her face as she fired her weapon.

"A decent aim."

The headmistress nodded her head in agreement with Rufus.

"She has the highest accuracy rating of our current candidates, takes her duties seriously, and works her hardest. That troublesome little, cretin punk was right...as loathe as I am to agree with him."

There was a soft exasperated sigh from Veld before he turned to face the headmistress.

"Thank you for your time. As always, your students are top notch."

"And thank you for the compliment. I hope we continue to meet the standards of the company. As for that, I also extend my thanks to you, Mr. Rufus Shinra, for visiting in person."

Rufus gave her a dismissive wave and began walking away with Veld not too far behind. As Rude was about to walk away, a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see the headmistress smiling just a little bit.

"I'm proud of you Rude. I know you'll keep up the good work. Good luck."

"Ma'am."

He saluted and hurried to catch up with Veld and Rufus. They exited the school and got back into the vehicle. While Veld drove them back, he questioned Rude and Rufus on their little tour. Rude remained silent as Rufus was content with simple commentary.

"Just your average students going about their lives. There was nothing _too_ special to be found there."

Veld cocked an eyebrow at that comment and glanced sideways to Rude. Rude in turn just shook his head and let it bang against the window as he slumped in his seat. Rufus looked at him curiously and Veld softly chuckled. This day went on too long and it just needed to end.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, Elena popped up and her sister stayed in a little corner. By the next chapter, a month should have passed and things can keep going. On a side note, the cameo by Elena was a bit different than I originally planned. But, I decided to try to write something with Rufus and Elena for Goodwitch08 so I used this story to help me organize ideas for the challenge fic I'll try writing. Let's see, other than that, not a whole lot I think I need to explain. I hope you all enjoyed it. As always, feedback is good and drop a line if you have any questions. For those waiting for school start, happy last bit of summer, and for those already in school, have a good year!


	24. Return

"Game day."

Rude looked up from his book at Shanon who took a seat across from him. Nodding his head in acknowledgment, he took a sip from his coffee. Shanon just sighed and waved over a waiter to the table.

"What can I get you sir?"

"Coffee."

The waiter nodded politely and hurried off to place the order. People milled about the dining lounge but the room was mainly empty. Most everybody in the company was scurrying around trying to make last minute adjustments before the dignitary from Wutai arrived. From Rude's perspective, the only people who had nothing to do was the Turks.

Of course, they made up for their lull in work since they had been working non-stop the whole month. Everybody was scrambling to weed out the source of any threat. On top of that, Rude, Shanon, and Victoria were exhausting their resources in an attempt to learn anything about the expected guest of honor. In the end, they had nothing.

"Did you know? Alexander and Cissnei just came back from Wutai."

Rude put his cup down and gave Shanon his full attention. Before he could elaborate, however, the waiter returned with a cup of coffee. Shanon thanked him and waited for him to be a distance away before continuing.

"Apparently, they found next to nothing like the rest of us." He paused to take a tentative sip of the coffee before making a face at it and dragging the sugar bowl towards him. "However, they did manage to lose sight of Reno."

Rude cocked an eyebrow curiously at Shanon who dropped in a couple spoonfuls of sugar into his drink. He had to admit, losing track of Reno was amusing yet slightly perplexing. By what he could tell, Alexander and Cissnei were not slouches at their jobs, so to lose sight of him indicated that he meant business. There was something big enough for his partner to want to disappear off the face of the planet.

"When?"

"When? Oh, I believe Alexander said shortly after that explosion about a month ago. Odd really. Cissnei is usually so good at tracking. From what I can tell, not even Tseng or Veld know where or what he's up to."

Shanon took another sip of coffee. This time, he did not cringe at it, but simply shrugged and continued to drink it. As he did, he stared expectantly at Rude over the rim of his cup. Rude shook his head and closed his book.

"Don't ask me."

A small smile from Shanon was completely unreadable, and unfounded in Rude's mind, but he was becoming accustomed to the philosophy that it was better not to ask. Besides, he knew nothing. Other than the letter he received from Reno a month ago was the last time he heard from him.

"Hey, guys."

Both Turks looked over at the newcomer. Victoria sat down and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She leaned back in her seat and sighed.

"I really don't like guarding Rufus."

Her comment caused both Turks to smile. Once more, the waiter came over to take her order.

"Coffee...and bring the whole damn pot."

Shanon chuckled at her exasperated tone of voice and the waiter's unsure expression. Rude wondered if there really were times the employees, especially those of a more stressful position, had ordered the whole pot be brought out. The waiter remained standing where he was for a moment before hurrying off. Victoria leaned forward and let her forehead drop to the table with a thud.

"He is the most difficult person in the world!"

Well, that was certainly true. Rude knew that from first hand experience. So, he felt sympathetic to her complaining. It had to be more difficult now due to all the hub about the dignitary. Except for his accompaniment of Rufus to the academy, he had the distinct pleasure of not guarding him. Then again, it also meant he did not have anything exciting or vaguely interesting occur either.

Before long, the waiter returned with a cup and a large metal container. Victoria's head shot up and she stared wide-eyed at the towering pot of coffee. With a smile, the waiter politely bowed and left. She had to look around it to be able to see across the table. Her partner full out laughed at her expression while leaning forward and filling his cup with some more black liquid.

"I didn't really mean it..."

She moaned a little bit before giving in and filling her cup. They sat in amiable silence, sipping coffee, and staring at a jug of coffee. Rude glanced at the clock on the nearby wall. It was noon and in an hour, the dignitary would arrive.

All the Turks were ordered to be present at his arrival. The president made the order they reluctantly complied. Rude hated when he was put on display. And as far as the dignitary was concerned, a display was all they were good for. He was bringing his own trusted entourage and made it clear he did not want the Turks' protection. That said, it was pointless for them to be shown off. Not to mention that Rude found it more than ironic since the Turks were supposed to be secretly watching him. Now they were right in front for all to see.

"What's with the giant table decoration?"

Rude snapped out of his thoughts when Scott pointed to the coffee. Victoria sighed and leaned to the side so she could see him.

"I ordered the coffee. You're welcome to have some."

Taking her up on her offer, Scott took the remaining seat while grabbing a new cup from another table. He filled it up and took a large gulp.

"This is pretty disgusting."

Despite finding it disgusting, Scott and the others continued to drink it. Rude already had a few cups, so he decided to excuse himself. Scott spoke truthfully about the coffee and Rude had the strongest urge to brush his teeth.

He left the three Turks to run the coffee pot dry and went back to his apartment. As he walked back, Rude passed by the front desk of his floor and was stopped by the secretary. A while back, Rude learned from Reno that her name was Sophia Primack. She held out a small cardboard box.

"A package arrived for you. This thing's been all around the world. Not to mention the address is in Reno's handwriting."

Rude grabbed it and looked it over briefly before thanking her and continuing on. Sure enough, the address was written in Reno's carefree scrawl. It was covered in various stamps from customs around the world. Judging from the first time stamp, the package had been sent almost a month ago. When he got into the apartment, he set the package on the dining table as he walked by it. Curious as he was, Rude felt that getting the odd aftertaste out of his mouth was more pressing.

A thorough brushing and a lot of mouthwash later, Rude came back out to study the package. He could hold it with one hand and he could hear something shift around inside. With a shrug, Rude pulled out a small switchblade from a pocket and cut the tape sealing the box. Tucking the blade away, he opened the box.

Amidst a pile of foam packing pellets, Rude found Reno's goggles, PHS, and EMR. He found that strange. Even stranger was another smaller box placed inside. It was fairly heavy and Rude guessed the object inside was dense. When Rude pried the box open, a simple black handgun slid out. He recognized Reno's handgun by the way the butt of the weapon was scratched up and scuffed. Reno always had a tendency to use his firearm as a tool for causing blunt force trauma rather than an actual firing weapon. Rude studied it a minute longer before carefully placing it back in the box. Still not sure as to why Reno would ship his personal affects to him, Rude just placed it in his partner's room on the bed so it would be there when he got back.

After placing it in his room, Rude went to the couch and turned on the television. The news anchor appeared on screen and was in the middle of describing the visiting dignitary's background.

"_Ryuuhei Takamura is one of the most influential businessmen in Wutai with close ties to the royal family."_

Rude frowned as the man's picture popped up on screen. He was a serious fellow with the deepest set frown Rude had ever seen. The image on the screen shifted to an overhead view of the ShinRa building. Right on cue, the muffled sound of chopper blades drifted by his window.

"_Not too long from now, Mr. Takamura will arrive at ShinRa Electric Company where he will tour the building and the city's development progress. Following, he will attend the good will party held in his honor."_

Checking the clock, Rude sighed and shut off the television. He got up and went to the bathroom mirror to make sure his suit was neat and orderly before heading downstairs. When he stepped off the elevator, Rude saw the others standing a short distance away. Rufus was also downstairs in the main lobby. Steve was nearby and looking worn out. From what he heard, Rufus had been being difficult the last couple of weeks. For whatever reason, everybody who had been directly interacting with him mentioned how moody he has been. Rude wondered if Rufus was on edge just like they were or if it was something else.

"They're coming. In order!"

Veld suddenly stepped off the elevator with Tseng and the President. The Turks quickly grouped together and stood at attention. Across from them, the top representatives from SOLDIER stood at attention as well. Rude recognized the man standing a bit in front of the small unit. If he recalled correctly, the man's name was Angeal and was the son of one of the scientists in ShinRa. He appeared stern in manner, but from what Rude had heard, Angeal was a kind person, but still not one to be messed with in battle. He was also good friends with Sephiroth and Genesis. They were a trio of trouble waiting to happen in Rude's opinion.

Within a matter of seconds, a black vehicle pulled up, flanked by a couple of motorcycle guards. The driver immediately stepped out of the vehicle and rushed to open the passenger door. The first two people to get out were a couple of solemn guards who looked around before moving to either side of the door. Then, the man of the hour came out. Just like his photograph on the news, Ryuuhei Takamura was a serious figure.

Not of tall stature, but imposing nonetheless, Takamura frowned deeper as he briefly took in the building. President Shinra walked forward with a smile plastered on his face and extended his hand in good will. With a brief look of disdain, Takamura shifted his expression to one of friendliness and warmly shook his hand. Shinra welcomed him to Midgar and led him inside. Following right behind were the two previous guards in addition to another three. Rude assumed they were his personal guard. As they passed, Takamura eyed both the SOLDIER and the Turks with disgust before giving his attention to the president. Veld fell in line with them as they passed by. Once they entered the elevator and the doors closed, there was a collective sigh of relief.

SOLDIER and Turk alike relaxed their stance and just milled around. Tseng turned his back to the SOLDIER across from him to face the Turks and motioned for all of them to gather close.

"The welcome ceremony is scheduled for 1900 hours. The president and Mr. Takamura will leave at 1830 hours. Those of you leaving earlier, you know who you are and what you will do. You're dismissed."

"Sir."

The Turks acknowledged their orders with a salute and then dispersed. Rude was one of the few going early. It was important to secure the area and screen the hired personnel so that hopefully, there would not be a repeat of events like the first.

"Well, at least we get to wear what we always do."

Victoria looked happier as she told that to nobody in particular. Shanon smiled and patted her on the head.

"But I liked your dress. I'd love to see you in it again."

As per usual, she began to blush and she scuffed the toe of her shoe against the tile floor. Scott blanched and shook his head.

"That's so cute I think I'm going to puke."

Shanon shot him a venomous glare from Shanon while Victoria blushed even harder. He was about to say something else, but was interrupted by Cissnei, who decided to join in on the conversation.

"Are you sure you're just not jealous because her partner gives out such flattering compliments?"

There was a wave of chuckles from those Turks close enough to hear. Rude made a choking like cough to cover up the unexpected laugh he let out. Clearly, he was not the only one who heard about Reno's theory about Scott and Steve's partnership. Scott seemed absolutely confused at why everybody was laughing. He scratched his head and looked questioningly at Rude.

"Don't look at me."

This caused a new wave of laughter to pass through the Turks' ranks. Even Tseng's usually collected manner seemed to falter a second under the attack of a small grin. Scott crossed his arms and settled for a small "hmph." He stared unbelieving at Rude's defense. Rude just kept his usual game face on and shrugged.

"Ahem. Rude, Shanon, Victoria, my office please."

Before Scott could pry further, Tseng motioned for Rude to follow. Obediently following, Rude trailed a short distance behind but was joined by Cissnei who fell into step with him. Then, Shanon and Victoria followed. They steadily made their way to Tseng's office and when they entered, Alexander was already waiting.

"They're going to the Development Department now."

Tseng nodded his head and walked over to sit at his desk. The Turks in the room lined up and waited attentively.

"When you arrive, you know to keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior. However, the commander and I want you to watch Mr. Takamura's bodyguards. They're the most suspicious ones so far."

He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out five folders. Handing the stack to Alexander, Tseng resumed his briefing.

"From what we could find, Takamura cycles through guards like they're going out of style. There are only two whom he has kept around. The other three have been around only for a few months at most. Actually, one joined about three weeks ago and another five weeks."

So the man was not only way too serious, but paranoid as well. Browsing the files that were passed to him, Rude could see that Takamura had no real way of deciding who would be his guard. None of the guards had anything related to the other. There were military personnel all the way to being more or less pulled off the street.

"However, the only thing they have in common are their ideals. All are fanatically loyal to Wutai and quite hateful towards ShinRa, especially after our little war."

Rude looked expectantly at Tseng.

"Why support Takamura then?"

Tseng nodded his head once and folded his hands on his desk.

"Good question. Takamura is trying to make peace but his guards are adamantly against ShinRa. As stated before, keep on guard."

"Sir."

With a nod of his head, they were dismissed. Rude set the file folders on the desk before following behind the others. When they were back in the hallway, they all went their ways. Rude wanted to just rest before leaving, so he wasted no time in heading straight for his room.

In his apartment, Rude tossed his jacket over the back of a kitchen chair as he passed by and sat on the couch. Loosening his tie and kicking off his shoes, he leaned back and adjusted himself so he was laid out across the couch. Without looking, Rude reached to the side and felt for the remote he knew would be there. He turned the television and flipped the channels until there was one not playing the news. After setting the remote back in place, Rude relaxed into the cushions and let the noise of the program lull him to sleep.

His dreams consisted of masses of chocobos, of every possible color of the visible light spectrum, chasing him across the city. There was no explanation for their behavior, but Rude felt like he had been running for hours. No matter how far he got, the chocobos kept getting closer. Just as the one out in front opened its beak to bite him, a loud buzzer came out instead.

Before he could question the bird's noise, Rude woke up to hear the door buzzer going off. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked at the television program. Reno's favorite chocobo show on the Monster Channel was in a middle of a chocobo marathon. Shaking his head and clicking the television off, Rude made it to the door.

"Hi Rude!"

Cissnei immediately held something up right under his nose when he answered the door.

"I brought over a casserole to eat before heading out."

She cheerfully waltzed into the apartment when Rude stepped to the side. Behind her, Alexander greeted him politely and walked in.

"Hey, they kind of invited us over."

Victoria looked a little sheepish as she explained their appearance. Shanon stood right beside her, but looking less embarrassed. Rude motioned for them to enter. After he shut the door, Rude walked over to the kitchen where Cissnei was opening and closing cupboards in search of dinnerware. Rude could have sworn she was mumbling about rearranging things on a whim. He smirked inwardly. He was not the only one who suffered random bouts of rearranging. As she continued to scour the kitchen, Alexander walked over to the table and took a seat.

"Cissnei insisted we eat togther. Sorry for inviting ourselves over."

"No problem."

Honestly, Rude was sort of glad for the company, especially after his little dream. However, not sure as to why his apartment was chosen, Rude, nonetheless, went into Reno's room and reappeared with another chair. Now there were enough chairs for all five of them. As he set the chair down, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Victoria skimming the bookshelves.

"Wow, you have a lot of different books, Rude."

"They're not mine."

"Seriously?"

She looked incredulously at Rude who nodded. Her surprise was understandable considering the implication. He felt the same way when he first bothered to see what books Reno kept around. He was curious as to whether or not Reno read them at all. Actually, Rude found it convenient and was reading one of the books. Many people kept telling him to read Loveless, and finding a copy in the bookshelves was as much an invitation to read as anything else.

Victoria continued to scan the bookshelves while Shanon took a seat next to Alexander. Looking into the kitchen, he saw that Cissnei managed to find plates and was currently slamming the drawer open and shut in frustration. Rude walked over and pointed to the one near the refrigerator. She smiled sweetly at him as she pulled out some forks. Then, she turned on Rude and shooed him away.

"Just sit down. Since we invited ourselves over, you don't have to do anything."

While he appreciated the gesture, he felt odd not doing anything when he had guest over, regardless of whether he invited them over or not. However, he deemed it best to not get in Cissnei's way and sat down. He had to wonder about her sometimes. She was barely a teenager yet she commanded, or demanded, respect from the others. As he pondered her coming to the Turks, she finished her preparations and set everything on the table. Victoria turned away from the bookshelves to sit at the table.

"Wow Cissnei, it smells great!"

She beamed at Victoria's compliment and scooped out a hearty helping onto the plate she gave to her. Then, she proceeded to plop the casserole onto each of the plates and handed them out one by one. After serving herself, she sat down to join the others in eating.

Rude had never been that fond of casserole, but he had to admit, for what it was, the meal was delicious. It was just some chicken, broth, and cheese baked together to make a simple and enjoyable meal. Everybody ate their share and soon had the baking dish cleaned out. After setting his fork down, Shanon leaned back into his chair and stretched.

"That was wonderful. Thank you for cooking that. It hit the spot."

"Why thank you!"

Cissnei giggled softly and also set down her fork. After Alexander and Rude finished, Cissnei stood up and started collecting the dishes. Victoria also stood up to help.

"Oh, let me help you with that."

"That'd be great."

When the scooped up all the dishes and deposited them into the sink for washing, Alexander leaned forward with a smirk.

"Wouldn't they make the most adorable little housewives?"

Shanon snorted in amusement while Rude shook his head. At the moment, they really did a good job playing the part. For a little while, it felt normal. Cissnei was standing next to Victoria showing her certain ways of cleaning the dishes and explaining how anal Reno was about dish washing. Rude chuckled at that. The men continued to lounge at the table and talk about the weather. It was not that the weather was all that interesting, but it seemed a general topic normal people would discuss. Not every part of their day had to be discussing missions.

"Alright, everything's been cleaned. Now, Reno can't say anything when he gets back."

The two females of the group came back to the table and sat back down. Victoria leaned forward and rested her chin on her hand and glanced at the microwave clock.

"Not too much longer until we head out."

They remained silent though they all agreed. Nobody could say they were looking forward to it. If anything, they were dreading it. Rude had the suspicion that he was not the only one who was inexplicably uncomfortable with the whole situation. It did not help that Takamura was under suspicion from the get go. From what Rude had learned, getting a bad feeling before a major event never bodes well.

"Do you think this guy is really plotting something?"

Everybody looked thoughtful at Victoria's question. It was hard to say. Either way, the man was bad news and they would have their work cut out for them tonight. Alexander softly sighed and stood up.

"Well, there's no telling until it happens, unfortunately. By the by, I've been meaning to ask you Rude. Have you heard anything from Reno?"

Rude shook his head in the negative. This caused Alexander to look thoughtfully at the table before sighing.

"Ah well, I guessed as much. I'm just curious as to what he's up to."

"We all are and personally, I bet he shows up sometime tonight."

Everybody turned to face Shanon who was idly combing his hair with his hand. He shrugged and also stood up.

"Just a hunch. However, I think we better head down in case those guards are wanting to leave earlier."

They all agreed with him and filed out of the apartment. However, just as Rude was about to step out, he suddenly remembered the extra chair. If his partner did come back, it would be best to have things in their usual place. He told the others to go on ahead while he carried the chair back to Reno's room. After setting it down, he was about to leave when the glint of metal caught his eye. He had forgotten about Reno's shipped items. Walking over to the bed, he reached into the box and pulled out the EMR. It was in its collapsed state so it was easy enough for Rude to hide it under his jacket. There was no particular reason for grabbing it, but Rude suddenly had the urge to bring it.

Making sure it was secure, he hurried out of the apartment and made his way to the lobby. When he arrived, the others were downstairs, but the three guards who were to accompany them had yet to arrive. As he was walking over to them, the other elevator opened up and sure enough, the three guards stepped out. They looked over at Rude and the other Turks before walking over to them.

Rude took one look at them and was immediately on guard. The ringleader of the group was a stocky individual with short, slicked back hair. He walked like a robot in Rude's humble opinion and his eyes looked like two splotchy blobs of black ink. The others did not make much of an impression on him either. One walked with a slight limp but was just as stiff as the first while the third was taller and skinnier than the other two, but just as serious. He kept his gaze straight in front of him and had the best posture Rude had ever seen.

"My name is Shoyu."

The man in front spoke in a heavy accent. He then pointed to the man with the gimp leg.

"Inari."

Then, he finally pointed to the third.

"Higashi."

After being introduced, all three of them bowed politely. Alexander then stepped forward and introduced each of the Turks who nodded their head. He then explained how all of them were going to check out the convention center in advance. Shoyu nodded his head a few time while he was talking and then turned to the others and spoke to them in their native tongue. They nodded.

"Show the way, please."

Apparently, the leader was also the one who spoke both languages. Rude decided it was better that way. Now, he did not have to talk with any of them unless it was necessary. Then, he just hoped he would be able to get the point across. After Alexander motioned for them to leave, they all fell into step and headed for the convention center.

It was decided by the uppers that they should walk the distance to the convention center as it would be a good chance for the Wutaian guards to get a grasp of the city. The walk over was a silent one and as they walked through the city streets, anybody walking on the same side of the road hurried to the other side. They had to be an intimidating bunch walking down the street like they were. A group of stone faced individuals, more than half of which were known Turks, strolling about like it was just a normal walk in the park.

As they walked, Rude glanced over to his right. The tall one, Higashi was his name, walked next to him. Unlike the other two who were looking around at every little thing, absorbing every detail, he just kept looking ahead, barely blinking. However, the first time Rude saw his head move from the forward position, was when he happened to be staring right at him. Not one to quickly turn away, that made things awkward and showed weakness on his part, Rude maintained a level gaze with him. Higashi just stared back blankly. His brown eyes remained steady, and then, he shifted his head so he was back to looking straight ahead. This one was definitely weird.

Not much else of importance occurred during their walk and they soon arrived at the convention center. Rude did not have fond memories of the place, but at least he already knew the layout. This time, however, he was going to go about a more thorough check, concentrating on personnel. They went inside the building and paused in the foyer.

"We're quite the large group. I think it would be best to divide ourselves so as to move about more freely."

"Agreed."

Each of the guards would go with a pair of Turks, the only exception being Rude, whose partner was still absent. It was decided that Shoyu was going with Alexander and Cissnei while gimpy, Rude did not feel like using his real name, went with Shanon and Victoria. That left Rude with the creepy one.

They broke off in different directions leaving Rude alone with Higashi. The two of them slowly walked through the hallway, observing every little thing and every person who passed by. It was the first time Rude had seen the young man actually look around. Of course, it was subtle and done with as little movement as possible. Deciding to leave him alone a moment, Rude went back to the arduous process of determining different potential threats. So far, the place looked like it did before, the only difference was the missing bullet holes in the wall and the shattered glass from the attack during the President's ball. With any luck, it would not happen a second time, especially since there were other guards present as well. Then again, he remembered Tseng's caution about them so in the end, he found himself in a tight spot if anything went wrong.

He was broken out of his reverie when he felt a light tug on his sleeve. Rude looked over to see his companion still pinching the material of his jacket with one hand and pointing down the hallway with the other. Following his line of sight, Rude saw what he was pointing at.

"Hey!"

Rude used as much authority as he could muster when he called out to the young woman pushing a serving cart towards them. She looked up in surprise. It was soon replaced by a look of confusion.

"Um, yes? May I help you with something, sir?"

Without asking anything else, Rude strode up to her and grabbed her by the wrist. In response, she immediately began to struggle, but her effort was in vain when up against Rude's grip. While he held her in place, Higashi grabbed the hem of the material covering the cart and tugged it off. Underneath the cloth, on the lower levels of the cart's shelves, were a couple of handguns and materia. The woman shot Higashi a confused and then scathing glare. As was his usual response, he ignored her and just stared absently in front of him. Keeping a hold on her, Rude used his free hand to pull out his PHS.

"Found a live one."

After that simple sentence, he snapped his PHS shut and maintained his iron grip. It did not take long for security personnel, thankfully composed of SOLDIER, to show up and take her and the weapons into custody. He expected that his report reached the others and they to would keep an eye out for servers.

When the hallway was clear again, Rude turned his attention to Higashi. He had to give him credit. The woman's uniform was slightly different from the others. Her tie was the wrong style and the white dress shirt was not quite the right cut. They were big differences considering the fact the Turks were told to memorize all the different uniforms down to the smallest detail. However, Rude knew he would have missed it had Higashi not pointed at her. Once he did, everything that was wrong stuck out like a sore thumb. This person may be a weirdo, but he had a sharp eye. Rude could see how he would make a good bodyguard.

"まあ。行きましょうか。" (Maa. Ikimashou ka?) (Well, how about we go? polite speech)

Rude stared at his companion oddly. He had no idea what he was just told. Apparently, Higashi caught on to that and tugged on his sleeve. Right, he wanted to keep going. Nodding his head, Rude started walking again and that seemed to satisfy him.

They continued through the hallway until it looped around to a large set of wooden double doors. It was the side entrance into the main the ballroom. Higashi opened the door and walked in with Rude following right behind. As he followed him from behind, Rude was able to see just how straight his posture was. There was no unnecessary movement. Rude was reminded of how Tseng held himself, only Higashi had a more unnatural feel to it. Clearly, he forced himself to maintain his posture.

He decided to let Higashi decide where he wanted to look since he was the one who needed to know where everything was. Rude followed behind, not too close and not too far, so he could continue to study this guard. So far, there was no indication that Higashi felt any animosity towards Rude, which was a good sign since he worked for ShinRa, but really, it did not seem that he felt anything that much. His expression rarely changed from the boring, blank expression he wore.

It took about an hour before he seemed satisfied with what he saw and Rude was glad no other suspicious characters were found. Now, both of them were back in the main room leaning against the far wall in the back. As they were just waiting for the others to show up, Rude became distracted by Higashi who was now rummaging around in his jacket. In many ways, their uniform looked similar to the Turks, only their suits were more of a blue. Then again, most guards tended to wear similar things. Regardless of the differences, Higashi finally pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

He bounced the box against the heel of his palm a few times before jerking the box upwards and forcing a stick to pop up. Pulling it out, he placed it between his lips and reached into his right pant pocket. From it, he procured a plain silver lighter and lit the cigarette up. He took a deep breath, held it, then slowly exhaled. A wispy stream of smoke filled the air as he put everything back. However, before placing the cigarettes back in his pocket, he held it out to Rude. His expression never changed, but Rude could tell he was trying to be friendly. However, he was not one to smoke all that much and he really did not want to start up the habit at this point in time.

Shrugging, Higashi placed the cigarette box in his pocket and just enjoyed his smoke. Rude checked his watch. In about a half hour, the president and Takamura would show up along with all the guests. He wondered how this would all go down. Even though he managed to catch that one server, that gnawing feeling in his gut was still there. However, he did not have much time to dwell on it as the others soon showed up.

When he saw them arrive, Higashi quickly pulled out a small, slender, oval shaped container. He slid the lid open and dropped the cigarette inside before shutting it and placing it in his back pocket. Inari looked disapprovingly at both of them before motioning for Higashi to come closer. The three guards then began talking amongst themselves as did the Turks. Shanon quietly began the discussion.

"Good call on the servers. There were two others hanging around. Fortunately, we were able to catch them."

"However, I find our guests' reactions to it odd."

Alexander looked pensively over his shoulder before shifting his attention back to the Turks. Cissnei nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. When we went after the rest, Shoyu didn't seem all that pleased."

Victoria looked over at Cissnei seriously.

"Inari was the same way. How about you, Rude?"

All eyes turned on Rude who was quickly becoming more suspicious and confused.

"Hate to break the pattern but, that guy was the one who pointed it out to me."

He tilted his head towards Higashi who was actually seemed to be getting berated for something. Judging from the other two's expressions, they were not happy about something. Shanon made a soft "hmm" noise before sighing.

"How odd. Perhaps they have nothing to do with it...or only some are involved?"

"Hard to say. Our best bet is to keep an eye on them like Tseng said."

They were suddenly snapped out of their conversation by the sound of someone being slapped. Shoyu had his hand raised and Higashi had a light red mark on his cheek. It looked as if he wanted to hit him again, but a quick jab from Inari seemed to indicate it was a bad idea now that they had the Turks' full attention. Quickly regaining his composure, Shoyu bowed his head to them and turned his back to Higashi who was still staring just as blankly as before.

After that little episode, nothing else happened. The Turks stayed together while the guards grouped together. It reminded Rude of a gang war. However, it was short lived as the silence was broken by the ringing of Cissnei's PHS.

"Yes? Right, understood." She snapped her phone shut. "They're here."

All of them quickly made their way to the front of the convention center to greet the president and Takamura. By the time they reached the entrance, they were already there. Not too far behind, Rude could see other vehicles, mainly limousines, heading their way. That mean the guests would be arriving as well.

"I trust everything is in order?"

The president looked at Veld expectantly who nodded his head once.

"Of course."

That was all that was said as they walked into the grand ballroom. As Rude predicted, it did not take long for the place to fill up with people. Instead of trying to mingle with the crowd this time, the Turks hung around the edges of the crowds, never staying in one spot too long. Takamura and President Shinra were in the middle of all the crowds with the only guards being Veld, Tseng, and the two men Takamura always kept by his side. His other guards were doing the same exact thing as the night wore on.

It was becoming late and Rude was actually beginning to feel a bit of hope. The party would end soon and so far, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. But, as fate would have it, he spoke far too soon. As he was circling the crowd, he noticed odd movement in the center. A man pushed his way through the crowds keeping one hand inside his coat and heading straight for the two most important people in the room. Rude moved to intercept him, but found he was going to be too late to reach him. When he was almost there, he saw the man pull out a knife and keep it close to his body. But, before he could yell out any warning, one of the two guards next to Takamura closed in on him.

There was a bit of a commotion and some startled screams from the female guests. Thinking that was the end of it, Rude felt the hairs on the back of his neck stick straight up. In an instant, more of the guests suddenly pulled out weapons of their own. Many of them were ShinRa employees. This was not good. Veld immediately placed himself in front of the president while Tseng began directing the Turks. Rude, no longer caring about being polite to the guests, charged through them to reach the nearest threat. Not even slowing down, he barreled straight into a man with a knife. The force caused the would be attacker to go flying across the floor and slam into a stone pillar. Looking around, he saw the others were moving to incapacitate the remaining attackers.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one person, a young woman, charge towards Takamura screaming.

"We don't want your kind here! DIE!"

She made to thrust her blade into Takamura's chest bust was intercepted by Higashi who side-stepped her, grabbed her wrists, and used her momentum to flip her onto her back. The air was knocked out of her lungs and with a drop kick from Higashi, she was out cold.

"You! You planned all this! They said you couldn't be trusted!"

Rude was close enough to hear Takamura screaming and pointing accusingly at Shinra who looked indignant and absolutely furious.

"How dare you!"

Veld stepped inbetween the two of them and tried to get them to move to a different location. However, Takamura would hear none of it. He whistled, causing all the guards to flock to him. With a final threat of another war, he ran off with the guards. Before anybody could stop them, more guests suddenly turned into attackers. Rude was growing tired of this very quickly. At the moment, he was ready to just pummel any and all guests he saw. That should solve the problem fairly quickly. Then again, he knew such an action would be unacceptable.

Instead, he did the next logical thing. He chased down Takamura and his lackeys. The other Turks were already dealing with any attackers and so, he wasted no time with anybody else. It was clear there was foul play on somebody's part and the information about hating ShinRa made a lot more sense now. As he was running, he glanced out of the corner of his eye. Tseng was right beside him in the pursuit with his gun drawn. With a quick nod, they upped their speed to catch up.

By now, Takamura was in the hallway trying to escape, but came to a halt when Tseng fired his gun. The bullet hit Inari in his good leg. With a pained yelp, he came crashing to the floor. Then, a group of people broke through the nearby windows and aimed their rifles at the small group. They continued to shout things against Wutai, but not one to let a good distraction go to waste, Tseng immediately began firing into the new crowd. As he did, Rude sprinted forward to take out everybody in front of him. Though the guards made moves to protect Takamura, they seemed more concerned with Tseng and himself rather than the attackers.

With some quick punches, he had most of them knocked down, but had to quickly duck when he felt something aimed for his head. One of the two guards who were always with Takamura attempted to kick him. Rude managed to duck and roll away a short distance away. He glanced over at Tseng who was now dodging around a couple of blades from the other personal guard and Shoyu. When he turned back to his own problem, he saw the man reach behind his back and under his jacket. Making a downward motion, the guard had a hidden sword drawn and brought it in front of him.

So, the guards kept hidden blades under their jackets. Well, Rude figured it was only one blade and he had plenty of practice dealing with them. He was about to move forward when he suddenly felt his legs being swept from underneath him. Being the martial artist that he was, he managed to not fall flat on his face, but still wound up in a kneeling position. He tried to stand back up but was not quite quick enough. He felt the tip of the blade pressed against his jugular. He felt the sword move upwards, indicating he should stand.

Not wanting to have his throat cut open, he complied. Rude heard his name called out by Tseng but he knew there was nothing to be done. He was careless and had forgotten about Inari still flailing around on the ground. Tseng had taken out Shoyu and the other guard and now had his gun trained on Takamura. However, he made no motion to shoot. They needed Takamura alive but any sudden movements would most likely result in Rude losing his head.

"おい！ガキ！攻めろ！" (Oi! Gaki! Semero!0 (Hey! Brat! Attack! really not a polite causative)

Takamura angrily motioned at the only person who had yet to do anything and thus, successfully managed to go unnoticed. Higashi was standing a short distance away pulling his own blade from one of the attacker's chest. He stared blankly at Takamura before turning his steady gaze on Rude and then on Tseng. Nodding his head, he slowly walked over towards Tseng.

"かしこまりました、高村様。" (Kashikomarimashita, Takamura-sama) (Understood, Mr. Takamura polite & humble speech)

Of course, on his way to Tseng, he had to pass by Rude. He paused when he stood to the guard's side. The blade he was carrying was leveled at Rude's throat also. However, instead of remaining there, he slid his blade across the guard's and held the sharpened end to his throat. There was a collective look of surprise on everybody's faces. For the first time, Rude saw real emotion on his face. The guard's eyes widened in surprise.

"キサマ！何しているか！" (Kisama! Nanishiterika?) (You impolite pronoun w/ bastard connotation. What are you doing?)

Instead of his usual blank stare, Higashi game the guard a look like he was an idiot. It then shifted into a positively maniacal grin and a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"ええ, 攻めているぞっと。" (Semeteiruzotto.) (I'm attacking. the zotto thing is nonesense plain form)

Of all the shocked expressions, Rude would say Tseng's was the most surprised one after hearing Higashi speak. However, the surprise was soon replaced with cool confidence and a smug grin worked its way onto his face. On the other hand, Takamura's face was drained of all its color as he stuttered and pointed at Higashi.

With a slight twitch, Higashi used his blade to knick the guard's throat and draw a small trickle of blood. Ever so slowly, the guard let up on Rude and brought his arm to hang limply by his side. Rude took the opportunity to step back and reassess the situation. The Higashi from earlier was now a completely different person. As he was trying to figure out where the new personality came from, the guard suddenly whipped his arm up in an attempt to stab Higashi off guard. However, his planned failed as he was bringing his arm up due to Higashi flicking his wrist and forcing the blade to slice the man's neck. An immense amount of blood began to spray outwards and Higashi quickly jumped away to avoid getting sprayed. Rude had to give him credit. He went for nothing less than the main artery, guaranteeing death.

"ハハ！それはとても楽しかった っと。"(Haha!Sore w/ha totemo tanoshikatta to)(Haha!That was really funzottononsense)

Rude had no idea what he was saying but it must have been quite a shocking statement judging from the looks he was getting. Takamura continued to sputter while Higashi flicked the blood off his blade. He walked over to where Inari was on the floor and brought his heel on the gun wound in his leg. Inari let out a pained scream before passing out on the floor. Now all that was left was Takamura.

But, Higashi seemed completely unconcerned with him as he was too busy nudging Inari with the toe of his shoe. As he watched him do that, Rude was reminded of somebody. Seeming to notice he was being stared at, Higashi looked up from what he was doing and smirked at Rude.

"久しぶり、相棒。" (Hisashiburi, aibou.) (Been a long time, Partner.)

It suddenly clicked. Even though he did not know what was being said, the last part, the way it was drawn out into a lazy drawl, made everything come together.

"Reno."

The smirk was replaced by a small grin.

"'Sup? Miss me?"

Rude could not help but smile just a little bit. His partner was a conniving bastard and convincing actor. Actually, Rude did not and could still not recognize him. He looked nothing like the Reno he knew and would beat up later. He shrugged and tossed the braid of black hair over his shoulder and blew a few bangs from his eyes.

"Wait. Who are you?!"

Reno glanced sideways at Takamura and gave him a smug grin. Without saying anything, he pulled on the tie until he loosened the knot and slid it off. Then, he unbuttoned his jacket and undid the top few buttons of his shirt. With a relieved sigh, he hunched his shoulders and slouched while tugging on his hair. The black hair slid off his head to reveal the trademark red hair. Finally, he rubbed at his eyes a bit and when he looked back up, bright blue eyes stared mischievously at Takamura.

"Name's Reno. Nice to meet'cha!"

He extended his hand as if to shake hands, but the response he got was a gun to his face. With surprising speed, Takamura was able to draw his weapon. Nonetheless, Reno just stared at him like he was the dumbest person on the planet. As he was about to pull the trigger, Tseng's gun went off instead, knocking the weapon from his hand. At the same time, Rude drew out the EMR he kept and tossed it to Reno.

Catching it in mid-air, Reno tightened his grip on the handle and flicked his wrist. The EMR extended and locked into its full length. With a predatory chuckle, Reno lazily sauntered over to Takamura who tried to back away. Bringing the EMR up, blue electricity streamed across the metal and Reno then brought it down. There was a loud crackle of electricity followed by a heavy thud. Takamura was now an electrified heap on the floor.

"Hahaha! Did ya see how he fell?"

Rude shook his head. His partner was still his partner. He looked around to assess the damage and found that it was actually quite minimal. At least for the building. The same could not be said about the bodies scattered about.

"Glad to see you back, Reno. Now tell me, how in the world did you ever learn to talk like that? Must you rape every language you speak?"

The last part of Tseng's question dripped with disdain. Despite the tone, there was a small smile on his face as he walked over to Reno and Rude. Reno just shrugged and popped the joints in his neck.

"Pretty much the case, Boss. So, what have ya been up to, Partner?"

With his typical smirk in place, Reno looked the same as he always did. Rude shook his head.

"Not much. It's been boring."

"Of course it has. I wasn't here."

Tseng interrupted their little chat by patting Reno on the shoulder and giving him a smug grin.

"Well then, now that you are here, I expect an interesting report and a full set of paperwork."

The smirk on Reno's face was replaced by an incredulous grimace. Reno began yelling about how that was an abuse of power and completely unfair. He then went on to nag Tseng about being gone for so long and trying to find every excuse not to do any desk work. Rude just watched his partner go on and on and be ignored each time by Tseng. He was glad Reno was back. Life had been too dull without his pain in the ass partner.

* * *

**A/N:** So a quick explanation. I wasn't intending on writing out the translations or anything, but if your computer doesn't support or have the Asian languages component, the characters would appear like blocks. Thus, I wrote out in romanji, then translation. Saves me time of explaining later. Anyways, are we glad Reno is back? I'm glad he's back. Rude is hard to write without Reno tugging things along. Also, yes, I did name those guys after foods or condiments. I have no creativity. Science sucked it out of me. Shoyusoy sauce, Inari-flavored boiled rice, Higashi-sad pun on my part. Sound-wise, it commonly means either east or sweets. I have Reno like sweets and he's in an eastern country. Get it? Sad, I know. Anyhoo, let me know what you guys think. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading!


	25. Hojo

"Reno, you're back!"

Victoria practically yelled across the hallway when she spotted him. The others were not far behind. Reno just waved lazily at them as they approached. Tseng was standing over Takamura talking into his PHS while Rude leaned against the nearby wall with his arms crossed.

"Man, that could not end soon enough! Do ya know what it was like bein' all silent, polite, and stand that straight?"

Reno stretched and cracked his hand joints again as he leaned against the wall next to Rude. He heaved a deep sigh before reaching into his jacket and pulling out the pack of cigarettes. Placing a stick between his lips, he put the package away and rummaged in his pocket. As he did, he paused, looked over at Rude, and smirked.

"What am I saying? You're already like that."

This caused Rude to lightly chuckle. Reno's smirk widened as he fished out a lighter. The lighter clicked a few times before the spark ignited and he was able to light the cigarette. He inhaled slowly and deeply before exhaling a cloud of smoke. Rude studied his partner out of the corner of his eye, but was distracted when Tseng came over and frowned when he saw what Reno was doing. Rude watched in amusement as Tseng and Reno stared each other down. One stare was reproving while the other was defensive. Finally, Tseng extended his hand forward, palm facing up.

"I thought I told you not to smoke. It would only add to your already extensive list of reprehensible habits."

Just like a petulant child, Reno crossed his arms defensively and clamped down on his cigarette. He glowered at Tseng.

"Ya coulda just said 'bad' and besides, I was under a lot of stress! You deal with that guy and see how much ya need a smoke. So, gimme a break, Boss!"

No matter how much Reno complained, Tseng was firm in his resolve. His hand was still extended. Rude slightly tilted his head while he watched. Both Tseng and Reno were entertaining to watch. Their dynamic relationship was hard to describe, but Rude often came to the word, "dysfunctional."

"Fine! Be that way. See if I care!"

Reno grudgingly passed the cigarette to Tseng who looked at it disdainfully for a minute before turning his back to Reno. With a loud, dramatic sigh, Reno crossed his arms in order to effectively pout. However, it was short lived. When Rude looked over at Tseng, he knew what was coming.

"What the hell?! Why are you allowed to smoke and I can't?!"

Sure enough, Tseng was calmly smoking the newly acquired cigarette with a hint o f a smirk on his lips.

"But I was under a lot of stress."

There was a twitch under Reno's eye as he bristled at how his words were used against him. He pointed accusingly at Tseng.

"Stress? That's just blatant abuse of authoritative power!"

He was about to storm up to Tseng when he was interrupted by an obvious cough. Pausing mid-step, Reno looked to his right to see Veld standing nearby with his arms crossed. Even Tseng seemed surprised at the commander's sudden appearance. Not too far behind him was Victoria and Shanon who were trying their hardest not to laugh. Tseng cleared his throat and attempted to smother his embarrassment while Reno stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at the corner of the nearby window. Veld shook his head and walked over to the bodies littering the floor.

"I would lecture you both on professional propriety…but after witnessing that…I lost my motivation."

An obvious look of embarrassment graced Tseng's features while Reno seemed happier, most likely because he would not have to sit through a lecture. Rude guessed his partner had sat through that lecture more than once. Veld kneeled next to the unconscious form of Takamura and examined him a moment before standing up and looking over at Reno.

"Reno, how easily will we be able to get anything from him?"

Reno looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling a moment before shrugging.

"Probably not that easy. He's a stubborn ass."

Veld maintained his solemn appearance but Rude could see the corners of his mouth upturned just the faintest bit. He appeared pensive and remained silent before turning his gaze to Tseng.

"Tseng, have the crews clean up and be sure to give Takamura or warmest treatment."

"Understood."

Tseng immediately whipped out his PHS and was talking to whoever was on the other line. He walked off to the side still barking orders into the device. By now, Reno had resumed his lounging against the wall next to Rude, only now, they were joined by Shanon and Victoria.

They chatted about nothing of great importance since Reno admitted to not really learning much during his undercover job. However, he had plenty to complain about, particularly about how horrible it was for him to use decent posture. And of course, he had to explain how his models for how to act were Tseng and Rude because they were the most uptight people around. He happily pointed out how well that all worked out. This caused the others to chuckle.

"Rude, take Reno back to headquarters. Reno, get cleaned up and wait for either Veld or me to call. I want to know everything before daybreak."

The command from Tseng made Reno's shoulder's slump. He roughly ran his hand back and forth through his hair before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Sheesh. Such a slave driver."

Tseng shook his head and nodded his head once at Rude to let him know he should get moving. Rude wasted no time walking down the hallway, not even checking behind him to see if Reno was following since he could hear the fairly loud grumbling from his partner.

He was just going to go out the front like any other normal person, but as he approached the front entrance, he heard a muffled din from outside and saw the flashes from reporters' cameras. Deciding it would be best to avoid the reporters as much as possible, Rude sharply turned on his heel and entered through an inconspicuous maintenance door. Once inside, he looked around and was pleased to find a separate pathway leading to the kitchens.

The current room they were in was small and cramped, enough so that Rude wondered how the workers were able to get around each other. The pathway leading around the convention center was also cramped. Rude was glad he was not claustrophobic. He thought about how bad it would be if he or Reno was. Speaking of which, Rude just then realized he had not heard Reno for a little while. He whipped around to make sure his partner did not go running off somewhere else but instead of getting a good look, he smacked his forehead into something hard.

"Freakin' hell, man! That hurt!"

While wondering how Reno's head could be that hard, Rude was still relieved to know Reno was right behind him. His partner was currently rubbing his head and resumed a new string of grumbling. Resisting the urge to rub his own head, Rude continued forward and was happy when he finally reached a door that had "KITCHEN" written on it. He carefully opened the door and was greeted by an extensive kitchen. He walked around to the back, dodging random trays of food, until he found a back door leading into the alley. As he prepared to leave the building, Rude just so happened to look over his shoulder and suddenly felt his head begin to pulse with a dull pain.

Reno was halfway inside a large, metal refrigerator rummaging around. Biting back an exasperated sigh, Rude stomped up to Reno, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and slammed the refrigerator door shut. Normally, he would let go and just have Reno follow him, but in this instance, Rude just wanted to get them out of the convention center with minimal attention and distractions. As he dragged Reno behind him, he heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. Looking over his shoulder, Rude could no longer hold back a sigh. Reno had grabbed a nearby tray piled high with sweet desserts. Happy with his new acquisition, Reno just allowed himself to be dragged by Rude.

When they were finally outside, Rude let go of Reno and quickly looked around before heading off into the direction of the ShinRa building. As they were leaving the alley, however, Rude was suddenly blinded by a bright flash.

It seemed that a stray reporter worked his way around the back, probably in an attempt to get inside, and instead, ran into a couple of Turks. When the little spots dancing around his vision, Rude was finally able to see the reporter. The poor man was now very pale and seemed too nervous to move. Not that it was against any rules or policies for Turks to be photographed, it was easier if the more clandestine branch of a mega corporation remained less public. Rude was about to ask for the camera's film but was halted by Reno who casually strolled up to the man and held out the tray of food. No words were spoken as the reporter shakily took the tray from Reno while Reno took the camera. It took no time at all for Reno to pull the camera apart and tear out the film. He handed the camera back and in turn, got back his pilfered tray of sweets.

That was how they left him. Reno chucked the film in a nearby trashcan and did not spare the reporter a second glance. Rude fell into step beside him and they walked home in companionable silence. Of course, the silence could also be the result of Reno devouring the sweets at an alarming rate. He briefly mentioned, with a full mouth, how great tasting they were before pouring his concentration into eating and walking at the same time. As they walked, Rude looked over again and saw how quickly the pile had diminished. Reno seemed to realize Rude was staring because he held the platter up towards Rude. Well, there was nothing wrong with consuming a little after mission dessert. So, Rude grabbed a simple looking brownie from the plate and munched on it. Indeed, it was good. Now he knew why Reno was devouring them at such an alarming rate. However, Rude knew how to exhibit self control and refrained from eating anymore.

"Only one? Wow, you're good…Then again…I should probably stop too before I make myself sick or somethin'…Oh screw it, I'll eat what I want."

With that, he shoved his own brownie into his mouth with a kind of satisfied determination. Rude shook his head at his partner's antics as they walked into the ShinRa building. The security guard did not spare them a second glance as they made their way to the elevators. When they finally got off on their floor, Reno made a stop at the receptionist's desk.

"Hey good looking. Miss me?"

Sophia Primack did not even look up from the book she was currently reading.

"No."

Despite the answer he received, Reno continued to smirk as he held the tray of sweets in front of her.

"That hurts, and I even made sure to bring ya somethin' back from the party."

Still not making eye contact with him, she reached up, daintily grabbed a cookie, and then continued to give him the silent treatment. This caused Reno to chuckle a bit as he picked the platter up again and joined Rude who was watching this little exchange a short distance away. As they were walking down the hallway, Reno winked over his shoulder.

"Don't worry. Later on, I'll make sure ya ain't so silent."

The receptionist merely extended her left hand and flipped him off. Once again, this caused Reno to chuckle. He remained smirking as he followed behind Rude who now realized that Reno got flipped off quite often. Rude was even positive that Tseng would too if he were not always so in control. Then again, even he flipped his partner off more than once.

"Good to be back. Even if it was only a month, it sucks bein' away from everythin'."

Rude nodded his head and opened the door to their apartment. The first place Reno went to when he entered was the kitchen. He immediately went to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer.

"Hell ya. That pompous ass wouldn't even let a guy drink."

Ignoring his partner who was taking large gulps from the bottle, Rude took off his jacket, loosened his tie, and sat down on the couch. As he sat and relaxed in his seat, he listened to the sound of cupboard doors opening and closing and was fairly confident that Reno could not complain about anything out of place. Sure enough, it did not take long for Reno to appear in the living room as well with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Nothin' like a bottle of beer and a pile of processed sugar for dinner."

He walked past Rude towards his room, taking his jacket off in the process. Reno disappeared in his room leaving Rude alone in the living room. Not able to go to bed just yet, Rude decided to watch some television to pass the time. When he turned on the television, the same chocobo program was on. As far as he knew, the same show had been playing all day long. He silently wondered how many different episodes they could show in a single sitting.

Not particularly interested in learning about the mating habits of giant colored avian, Rude flipped through the channels in an attempt to find something interesting. He paused briefly on the news station that was currently reporting on the recent events at the convention center. They obviously had nothing to work with since, as far as Rude was aware, the Turks, and everybody else for that matter, were still inside. So, that left him with not much else to watch. They had a couple hundred different channels and there was nothing to watch. Thus, he resorted to watching the chocobo show some more. Interesting as it was, he still could not find the appeal behind it. But then, giant colored avian were not something he was particularly interested in. However, his partner was interested more than enough as indicated by the sudden noise of excitement that came from Reno as he plopped down in his favorite armchair.

"Hey, how come this show's on now?"

Rude just dropped the remote to his side and leaned back into the sofa.

"Marathon. All day."

"Aw man, I totally forgot about that! Oh well, at least they haven't shown the new episode yet."

So that was what the channel was doing. Rude found it a bit excessive to run the show all day just to lead up to a brand new episode, but then, if there were half as many people like Reno, then they were sure to get the ratings they wanted.

Even though he was sure Reno had seen all these episodes before, nonetheless, Reno was glued to the television screen. As the current episode was ending, Reno's PHS suddenly went off.

"For the love of…Reno here."

Reno looked extremely annoyed with the interruption.

"Yeah you're interrupting something here. New episode of Chocobo Watcher coming on, like, right now…Screw the chocobos?!...But I…Fine, fine. Be that way. Yeah, I'll be right there."

The PHS was forcefully snapped shut as Reno stood stiffly and huffed. He stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door behind him. Rude shook his head at the reaction and grabbed the remote. Examining the buttons on the remote, Rude finally found the keys that make the television record shows. As he was attempting to get the device to obey his commands, his own PHS started ringing.

"Rude."

"_Rude, record Reno's damn show so I don't have to listen to him bitch to me._"

He chuckled at the exasperated and exhausted tone of voice Tseng used.

"Already on it, sir."

Rude heard a deep sigh before the line was cut. He tucked his PHS back into his jacket pocket and resumed punching in the last few keys on the remote. At long last, his efforts were rewarded by the small recording icon flashing on the bottom corner of the television screen. Not wanting to watch it now, since he had the feeling he would wind up watching it with Reno anyways, Rude shut the television off and just sat on the couch looking up at the ceiling.

There should have been something he could be doing, but at the moment, he just did not feel like it. But the problem with that choice was boredom. Rude was bored. He noticed these feeling most often after a mission. He was not a thrill seeker by nature, at least he did not consider himself so, but that did not mean he enjoyed nothing going on. If that were not the case, why would he have joined the Turks?

He sat there for who knows how long before he began to feel his eyes droop shut. Sitting up straight, he attempted to shake his head, to rid himself of the drowsiness that comes from doing nothing for prolonged periods of time. In order to keep himself awake in case he was needed, Rude walked over to his room and grabbed the book off his nightstand. He walked back into the living room and sat back down on the couch. Flipped through the pages, Rude finally found where he left off in Loveless.

It was not particularly long, but, it was something Rude had to take his time reading. He had heard about the imagery and symbolism, so he was trying to figure it out as he went along. However, literary critique was not his strong point, so he just settled for an overly dramatic and pretty sounding poem. But, it must be popular enough considering it got a play and a district named after it. While he was reading, he did not take notice about the time nor the person currently hovering above him. Finally, as Rude was turning the page, he suddenly had the feeling that somebody was watching him very closely. He tilted his head to the side to see Reno, as always, invading his personal space.

"Readin' Loveless are ya? I don't get what's so great about it. Just a bunch of epic poetry. Too epic for my tastes."

Well that was something Rude would have to quote again. "Too epic for my tastes." He shut the book and looked expectantly up at Reno who was now backing away and moving around to his chair.

"Tomorrow, we get to all take turns tryin' to break Takamura. Winners get a day off."

Rude wondered whose idea that was. While it did not sound like something serious people, such as Veld or Tseng, could come up with, he could not be sure. There were a lot of odd little games the Turks played. Reno did not seem as enthusiastic as eh normally would have been, but then, Rude guess he was probably tired and/or irritated about missing his show.

"I tape your show."

Reno immediately perked up when he heard that. Rude had to keep himself from chuckling at the sudden mood change. He picked up the remote and turned the television on. After pushing some keys in, the show suddenly popped up. Rude tossed the remote over to Reno and resumed his reading. He was almost done with it. As he continued to read about the four beasts, the goddess, and three guys and their oath, Rude noticed the pattern about wings and flying in the sky. He never really found either that appealing. His mother always made the joke that he did not like flying because he was such a well grounded person, but as he thought about it, the more it seemed true. Freedom was definitely associated with wings, he got that much, but from what he could tell, a person was not really free unless they were dead. While in the midst of his deep, slightly morbid contemplation of the deeper meaning of symbolism, he happened to look up at the television screen.

Any significant thoughts were lost as he watched two large, and very awkward birds mate. His head tilted to the side as he was completely drawn in by what he was seeing. It was like a crash, or a murder. It was horrifying and wrong, yet he could not look away. There was a lot of squawking and flapping and many feathers flying around before the narrators came back on and calmly describe the sequence of events and the end result. Rude finally managed to tear his eyes from the screen to see what his partner's reaction was. Reno was staring at the screen with a blank expression and remained so until the credits started to roll.

"I really did not need to know that."

Rude nodded his head in agreement. However, the stupor Reno seemed to be in wore off fairly quickly and he resumed his normal amused demeanor.

"Ya know, I wonder if a person could use that position for their personal life? Probably be sore in the morning but no doubt it would have been worth it."

Rude shook his head at his partner's commentary and stood up. He walked over to the bookshelf and carefully made sure he put the book back where he originally found it and made the spine line up with the rest of the books. That was another thing he learned earlier about Reno. Line up the spines of the book evenly or Reno will stay up all night arranging the books until they were no longer irritating him.

He glanced down at his watch. Rude decided today was exciting enough to merit an early bedtime. Besides, they had a full day of interrogating tomorrow. He said his goodnight to Reno who was still watching the same channel, though now, another show was on. From all the sugar Reno had previously eaten, Rude had a feeling he would be up for a while so he shut the door to his room and got ready for bed without a single thought. After hanging up his suit and brushing his teeth, he sat on the edge of his bed and tucked his gun under his pillow while making sure his PHS was sitting within easy reach. Making sure everything was in order, he finally allowed himself to get comfortable and fall asleep.

Thankfully, his dreams were not plagued by brightly colored chocobos, but instead, he was plagued by a pair of annoyingly blue eyes peeking over the edge of his bed. Rude had one evil eye trained on his partner who was kneeling on the ground, barely looking over the edge of his bed. He was in the right mind to poke both, or at least one, of those eyes out, but settled for closing his eye again and trying to ignore him.

Of course, such an action was futile when Reno was determined to get somebody up. No matter how Rude tried, even with his eyes closed, he could not stop the feeling of being stared at. Finally losing it, Rude sat up and jerked the covers off him. This action seemed to please Reno who also stood up, smirked, and waltzed out of his room. Rude grumbled to himself as he groggily made his bed and stumbled to the bathroom. He let out a large yawn before going about the tedious task of getting ready to face the day. Once his suit was in perfect order, he grabbed his gun and PHS off the nightstand and exited his room.

Reno greeted him the minute he walked out. He was currently in the kitchen slathering jelly over a slice of bread like it was nobody's business. After drenching the bread in the jelly, he grabbed another slice that was smeared in peanut butter. Then, he smooshed the two slices together with gusto. Some jelly and even peanut butter leaked out the sides, of which Reno then proceeded to lick the dripping excess off. After making sure there was no more danger of dripping condiments, Reno took a giant bite out of the sandwich.

Meanwhile, Rude had been watching this with a bored kind of amusement. He really needed to find a hobby or even start dating. Then again, he was never lucky at dating. The last time he dated, well, she kind of died. Quickly shaking his head to rid himself of that memory, he looked back up at Reno who was staring at him oddly. His mouth was full, but he swallowed the large chunk of food and tilted his head.

"What's your problem this morning?"

"Nothing."

He made some kind of unsure noise before shrugging and taking another bite out of his sandwich. Rude checked the kitchen clock for the time. It was the late morning. It seemed as if he was gaining the bad habit of sleeping in these days. Before, he was always very prompt about waking up at around the same time every day. Now, he apparently woke up whenever Reno decided to pop into his room. Then again, he probably required more sleep now that he had to deal with his partner.

"Are ya sure you're doin' good? You've been kinda spacin' out over there."

Rude suddenly realized he was still standing halfway in the kitchen the whole time he had been thinking. He adjusted his tie and cleared his throat.

"Sorry. Everything is fine."

Taking a deep breath and making sure to avoid Reno's curious gaze, Rude also decided to make himself a sandwich, albeit, with less enthusiasm as his partner. As he carefully avoided getting peanut butter all over the place, he remembered that they were trying to get information out of Takamura today. After making his sandwich, Rude walked over to the living room to turn on the television. He wanted to see what the rest of the world was thinking right now. When he clicked it on, the television was already on a news channel. Sure enough, even at this time of day, professionals from every field were discussing the arrest of Takamura.

"_ShinRa claims to be holding him until his safety and others are confirmed. We all know this to be a weak cover. Why even say it?"_

"_Even if everybody knows it to be true, they have to say it to keep Wutai from declaring war all over again. Once again, politics are a sticky business."_

"_Politics or no, they're keeping an international diplomat prisoner and who knows what those people in ShinRa are doing to him now."_

Rude sighed at the excited people discussing how flawed ShinRa was in its dealings with diplomats. Apparently, none of them knew the exact details of what occurred inside the convention center nor the fact that Reno was undercover. Of course, that was obvious. That information was not something the general public needed to know. All they knew was that something dramatic happened last night and suddenly Takamura was no longer allowed to go outside. Combined with the already existing distrust for the large company, it led to some sensational news.

"Ya know, those people are always changin'."

Reno pointed to the television screen, at the people still talking animatedly. By now, his sandwich was eaten and he was twisting the caps on the jars as he spoke.

"One day, they can't stop praising ShinRa. The next day, they're a bunch of paranoid freaks with conspiracy theories…Heh, not that the conspiracy theories are that wrong, but…"

"They should just stay with one view?"

Rude finished the sentence when Reno started to drift off. His partner nodded his head wholeheartedly.

"Exactly. Like, take those people who live the hell out there. They'd all die just to get ShinRa's attention to build them a mako reactor or somethin'. We might now always follow the rules, but we still do good for 'em…Eh, who cares. This totally ain't my thing. Let's get over to Tseng. I wanna see how Takamura's doin'."

Not waiting for any comments or opinions from Rude, Reno bounded off to his room and came back out with his jacket on. Rude was all ready to go and followed behind his partner down the hall. As they walked towards Tseng's office, Rude attempted to quickly eat his sandwich before entering his superior's office. Stuffing his face while being briefed seemed like bad form to Rude. Of course, as happens when eating something with peanut butter too quickly, it gets stuck on the roof of the mouth and makes a person thirsty. Rude was happy he was not expected to talk that much. A mouth full of half eaten peanut butter also seemed like bad form. He tried, as subtly as possible, to make sure there were no remnants of his meal as his partner did not bother to knock and walked right into the office.

"Yo."

"Knock."

Heaving a deep sigh, Reno walked backwards a few steps, shut the door, and knocked again. Rude just watched it from the hallway. He was kind of glad he always stays a bit behind Reno.

"_Now_ you can enter."

Reno mumbled incoherently under his breath as he opened the door and walked in for the second time in the course of less than a minute. His partner strode up to Tseng's desk and plopped down in a chair. Rude quietly shut the door and stood by his partner.

It was silent for a while. Rude was surprised at how well his partner was at remaining silent. He looked down at Reno, who, from all appearances, was patiently waiting for something to happen. However, to Rude's trained eye, he could see how tense Reno was in his attempt to not twitch. Why his partner was trying so hard to not behave like himself, Rude did not know. All he did know was that it could not last much longer. He was sure Reno would have to breathe at some point in time. And just as he thought about it, Reno suddenly exhaled with great force and then took a deep breath. He looked annoyed.

"Fine. You win."

Tseng continued to read through papers though he did have the smallest hint of a smile. He set the papers down and looked up at Reno.

"Of course I won. But I must give you credit for lasting so long."

His small concession did not lift Reno's mood.

"Now. On to other things. We are in a tight spot with Takamura. We need information, but we cannot go about our usual methods of extracting information since Takamura is a foreign diplomat."

Reno scowled.

"'Cause those idiots out there would throw a hissy fit?"

"More or less. The president does not want bad PR."

The last comment caused Reno to snort in annoyance. Tseng appeared to share the same sentiment. Rude recalled what they were saying on that news talk show. But he also recalled Reno mentioning how difficult and stubborn Takamura was going to be.

"That being said, we're going to try a new method."

"New method?"

Both Rude and Reno asked at the same time. Tseng nodded his head though he seemed reluctant to say anything. At long last, he took a deep breath and handed a folder over to Reno. Rude looked over Reno's shoulder as he opened it up.

The first thing he saw was a picture of an odd looking man. A large forehead, greasy dark hair pulled into a ponytail, and small, calculating eyes behind spectacles made him look like something out of a B-grade horror movie. Rude skimmed over the information paperclipped to the picture. Apparently, the man was an up and coming scientist who had been working in the ShinRa science department for a while. His specialty was in monster hybridization and genetic research. For the most part, that was all he was able to pick up from the information. Reno shut the folder and tossed it on Tseng's desk.

"Wait, so it's bad if we do straight up torture, but it's okay if this creep uses him as a science experiment? Ain't there more laws about that then traditional torture?"

Tseng shook his head.

"One would think. However, he convinced the president to allow him to try a new drug that supposedly has no traceable effect on a person. I have my doubts though. That's why I want you and Rude to go down there and see what you can find before the good doctor."

Reno stood up and saluted as smartly as he ever did while Rude saluted the proper way. They walked out of the office and headed for the elevators. As they waited for the elevators to reach their floor, Rude idly wondered how they were going to interrogate Takamura without any of Reno's creative measures. Their hands were practically tied in this instance. There was no way they could just ask him and he answer politely. Psychological tactics were not Rude's forte; he knew that the day he accepted that he did not like to talk. Then again, his partner was Reno, so there was the possibility it could work.

"Hojo…I really don't like that guy…"

His thoughts were interrupted by Reno who was looking thoughtfully at his shoes as he mumbled to himself. Rude had to agree. There was something suspicious, untrustworthy, and frightening about that man. Rude hoped he never had to meet him in person. If the photograph and biography were enough to set him on edge, he did not want to know what it would be like to meet him in person.

Finally, the elevator arrived with a high pitched ding and the doors slid open. They stepped inside and Reno pulled out his ID. He scanned it then punched in for the lower levels of the building. It was an easy ride down since it never stopped on any other floors. While they descended back to the ground, Rude looked over at his partner who was still softly mumbling to himself. Ever once and a while he could make out a few words, but for the most part, Rude could not decipher anything. His attention shifted from his partner to back in front of him as the elevator dinged again, signaling the end of the ride. As the doors opened and they stepped off, they had to move to the side to make way for a short, man scurrying like a rat. Rude fought the urge to shudder when he saw who it was.

None other than the scientist named Hojo himself passed them by. He had a clipboard tucked under his arm and when he looked up to see who he passed, Rude saw the man smirk.

"My, my. Turks are so predictable."

Rude followed his partner's lead and did not look at him as they walked away. Though his back was turned to him, Rude still felt like eyes were boring a hole into the back of his head. Not until he heard the doors shut and he was around a corner did Rude feel any better. He had to fully agree with Reno. He really did not like that guy.

Speaking of Reno, Rude glanced to a bit to his left to see his partner talking to the main guard who was currently pointing to the end of the hallway. Rude caught up to Reno and walked in step with him.

"See why I don't like that guy?...Creepy as hell and I don't trust him."

He definitely agreed with his partner who was leading them down a different hallway than the last time they were here. They walked to the far end until they reached a single door. With an annoyed sigh, Reno grabbed the handle and opened the door. Stepping inside, Rude did not feel like the room was a holding cell. Even though they were on the same floor as the other prisoners waiting to be interrogated, this room was far more lavish than the one Rude remembered seeing. There was carpeting, a table, and bed. It was the suite of holding cells and sitting directly in the center of the room at the table was Takamura. The man was calmly sipping some tea and did not bother to look up at either of them. This did not seem to bother Reno who just strolled up to the table and took a seat across from him. Rude came over as well, though he opted to remain standing and being as intimidating as possible.

"What do you want?"

At long last, Takamura set his cup down and looked up at the both of them, with his glare lingering on Reno.

"Not much. Just curious as to why ya went through all that trouble just to get caught."

There was a smug tone to Reno's question that was not lost on Takamura. His eyebrow twitched faintly as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He appeared far too confident and arrogant for a prisoner of the Turks. Then again, Rude was sure he must feel comfortable behind the knowledge they could not hurt him.

"Caught or no, I just want to see ShinRa burn."

Reno snorted in amusement.

"No kiddin'. I want to see a lot of things burn too. Problem is, ya chose the wrong thing to burn. So, let's cut the witty chat and get down to it. Who ya workin' for? Who's fundin' your little crusade?"

"It is all for the glory of Wutai and the benefit of this planet."

It was obvious Takamura was not going to just answer Reno's question and from the looks of things, Reno seemed to have already accepted this. Rude forced himself to be alert and to pay attention, not only to Takamura, but also his partner. While still learning the exact reasons behind his actions, Rude was still pretty good at picking up when Reno was going to act. However, at the moment, Reno did not look like he even wanted to move. His long legs were propped up on the table, much to the disgust and chagrin of Takamura, and reclined on the back two legs of his chair.

"Benefit the planet? Odd thing to say…then again, if I recall, you were always goin' on about that. Too bad I didn't have more time to learn who was putting those stupid ideas into your head."

Takamura grinned smugly.

"Even if you did have time, it's not like the pet dog of ShinRa would be able to figure it out."

Rude suddenly tensed and inched just a little closer to his partner. A slightly feral grin worked its way onto Reno's face and his eyes turned a shade darker. He remembered how Reno did not like being called a pet. An odd weird to get hung up about, but Rude was not about to question it. He just knew that it was a dangerous thing to say and if their goal was not to harm Takamura, Rude felt like he should be prepared.

"I don't think ya give me enough credit. I'm a bit better than ya think. I played you like the fool for a month straight. Ya didn't even know that I was the one who planted those explosives."

The color from Takamura's face paled slightly, even though he tried to remain neutral about it.

"A clever parlor trick-"

"That you fell for."

The same tick in his eyebrow from earlier reappeared while Reno maintained his dangerous grin. So far, he had not moved from his current position, which indicated he had no intention of moving. That did not mean he was incapable though. Rude was still wary.

"Ya know. Funny you should call me a pet 'cause after we're done with ya, you're only going to be good as a pet."

Takamura did not seem amused or fazed by Reno's comment. However, he was now more on edge as indicated by the sudden shifting of his weight and nervous clearing of his throat. All these things fueled Reno further and his grin suddenly shifted into a more friendly one.

"That scientist that was in here just before us? See, he's into these crazy experiment things and he wants to try this new serum on you. Here's the kicker though; that guy has no intentions of letting you go after injectin' you. The man specializes in monster and genetic research. I once saw one of his own pets, a behemoth combined with a chimera. Recently, he's been wanting human test subjects. Last I heard, there was this guy who was supposed to be guarding him, but the guy went missing and Hojo all of a sudden had a new toy to play with. That's not even the first nor last case of somethin' similar happenin'. Point is, if ya keep up with this high and mighty shit, yer gonna wind up a mutated freak monster that I, with any luck and with great pleasure, get to kill."

His attempts to keep his composure were failing. Takamura's hands shook as he reached for his tea cup.

"N-nonsense. Your idle threats do not scare me. Besides, if that were the case, my disappearance would cause a stir and that would be the end of ShinRa."

Rude looked at his partner, this time curiously, to see how he would answer the extremely legitimate point.

"It's easy enough to find a guy lookin' like you, pretend to send ya home, and then suffer a tragic accident resulting in your untimely death. Besides all that, ya say I'm lyin' about that guy, but you had to have seen him right? I mean c'mon, there's no way ya can't say the guy has mad scientist written all over him. There's a reason we keep him in the basement."

This friendly, joking manner that Reno was suddenly using put Takamura on edge. It was clear that he felt similarly about Hojo, and now, he was showing signs of believing the things Reno said. However, true to his description, he remained stubborn.

"Say what you will. I will not speak of anything."

That method was close to breaking him, but not quite. Rude waited to see what his partner would try next and needless to say, he was surprised when Reno suddenly stood up, stretched, and walked for the door.

"Tell ya what. If ya tell us anything, we'll make it so the mad doc doesn't getcha. However, ya only got a short while 'cause soon, he's gonna return to run some "preliminary tests" that won't seem like much, then he'll leave and return by the evening to perform his new experiment. Until then, have a nice day."

Without further ado, Reno opened the door and walked out. Rude stood there a moment, wondering if he was going to return. When nothing happened for a few seconds, it was clear that Reno was finished. He stepped outside the room and shut the door. Reno was already a little ways down the hallway and Rude sped up to catch up with him. When he managed to fall in step with his partner, he looked over to see if he could figure out what Reno was thinking.

His partner's expression was a cross between annoyance and happiness. An odd combination, but that was definitely what his face showed. As if picking up on Rude's confusion, Reno spoke up.

"I learned that bit of info from the guard up front. Now I'm positive the guy will speak up before the day ends. The thing that sucks is that we gotta wait until then."

Rude could not help but softly chuckle at his partner's despair over having to wait a few hours. Any of the previous hostility he sensed from Reno was gone now and he was back to being the immature redhead he knew, well, somewhat knew. He was still unsure as to why Reno always responded to being called a pet of any kind. To be honest, Rude had forgotten about it until then since it never came up. Now, once again, he was curious. He was about to open his mouth and just ask, but was interrupted by Reno who suddenly talked first.

"I'm gonna go out for a while. I doubt anything's gonna happen for a bit. You're welcome to come. We can get drinks while we're at it. I need to finish some shoppin' anyways."

He did not wait for Rude to agree or disagree as he marched forward with a new determination, leaving Rude to follow. Somehow, Rude got the feeling that he did something to indicate he was going to ask and Reno did not want to answer. He sighed to himself and simply followed Reno into the elevator. Then again, it was not like there was any pressing need to know, so Rude just left it alone, for now anyways. Also, getting out might do some good. It would be the first time he walked the city without any type of mission. Besides, drinks sounded really good at this point.

In no time at all, they were on the ground floor of the building and exited the elevator into the front lobby. They passed a small group of people being led by a ShinRa employee. Tours of the building, at least some of the floors, and the aeronautics museum were always popular, despite the current opinion of the conspiring masses. With a few side ways glances from the group, Rude and Reno made their way outside.

It was a pleasant day with surprisingly mild weather. Plenty of people were milling about and enjoying the day. Rude let Reno lead them wherever he wanted, which meant they went everywhere and nowhere. Some point along the way, Rude gave up on his personal game of trying to find a pattern to Reno's shopping desires, but decided it could never be won. And as far as shopping went, Reno never went inside half of the time, let alone buy anything. He just happily loafed from one store front to another. An ice cream stop later, the two Turks were now sitting on the edge of a large fountain. Reno devouring his ice cream like somebody was coming to take it from him, was relatively silent save for when he felt the need to point out how weird somebody looked or how they were fat like Heidegger. Rude just calmly ate his ice cream at a normal pace and pretended to not know him when he spoke just a little too loudly and the person he was scrutinizing overheard him. Generally, for the most part, Rude was simply ignoring Reno.

"Hey, wait here a sec. I'm gonna look over there!"

Once again he took off not caring whether or not Rude heard him. One minute Rude was drowning out his partner's voice, the next minute the same partner was way across the street, practically a block away. As he just let Reno run off to do whatever it was Reno does, Rude was finishing his own ice cream when something caught his eye. When he turned to get a better look, he swore he saw that particular something run into a nearby alley. While not one to be paranoid, his gut told him to follow. Seeing as Reno was still occupied, Rude did not feel it necessary to phone him yet. If it turned out to be something bigger, he would find a way to call.

Settling that with himself, Rude stood up, disposed of his ice cream, and casually made his way to the alley. As he approached, he became more tense and wary. After a preliminary scan of the area, Rude deemed it safer to move more towards the secluded alleyway. It was actually longer than he originally thought it was and came to feel like he was being watched. With that thought he wanted to kick himself. This was not some movie, even though it sure felt like it. He had seen enough films to know that the person going down a deserted long alleyway by himself was going to get jumped by something. But, being a Turk, he had the advantage of not being like most people. However, whoever was watching him, was not just a typical mugger or stalker. Just as that thought passed through his head, Rude heard a footfall crinkling a discarded scrap of paper. Rude whipped around, fists up, and was completely surprised by who he saw.

"Long time no see, Rude."

* * *

**A/N:** Long time no see indeed. Sorry about such a long delay. This semester's been a killer. As we speak, I'm getting ready to leave all weekend for my one class that requires I go out and harass animals. Such is the the life of a biologist who oddly hates the outdoors. Not to mention the evil that is my teachers' timings for tests. But enough excuses, I'm back, for now. Hopefully it won't be next to forever for the next chapter to go up. In addition, I'm happy to say I am remotivated to write now that I know where this is going. Writing this chapter helped that a lot. Anyways, as for the chapter itself, I hope you all enjoyed it. I wrote it late at night, so there might be more errors than usual. I'll have to go back regardless, which, is also taking my time since I'm currently editing the previous chapters. Going back made me realize I suck. Good grief, you people must be saints to put up with the filth. Enough talking on my part, I'm rambling. So, if anything isn't clear here, let me know. I would also just like to know what the readers think in general. Well, got to go, like, right now. Thanks for reading!


	26. Traitor

Rude leveled his gun at the speaker before he had finished speaking. He did not need to see the person to know who it was and know he should be on guard. Sitting casually on some back door stairs was Nernst. Despite having a gun aimed at his head, he remained relaxed in his posture and to all appearances, looked like he did not have a care in the world. Rude felt himself subconsciously tense up.

"I suppose I deserve that kind of reaction after our last meeting."

Nernst casually examined his nails before shrugging. He smiled genially at Rude and leaned forward as if he were going to tell him secret.

"However, I just ask that you hear me out."

"No."

Even though Nernst appeared unarmed, Rude was still leery of him. He was cornered, something he must of have purposely done, and leaving himself wide open for attack. While Rude was inclined to think of Nernst as being a few bullets short of a magazine, he did not, however, think him careless enough to not have some kind of plan. So in the end, Rude was unsure as to what actions he should take.

"My, my. You really look torn, don't you? Yes, I put myself in this position on purpose."

There was a small, involuntary twitch under Rude's eye. He really needed to figure out how everybody seemed to know what he was thinking. Then again, it was probably obvious considering the weight of the situation. However, it just served to annoy Rude further. To add to his uncertainty and frustration was the fact that he knew Nernst was fast. If he did make a move, he was positive Nernst was agile and quick enough to respond and escape without injury.

It was his duty to capture him, but Rude was having difficulty determining the best method of going about it. So, while he was contemplating his options, there was no reason he could not try to get more information from Nernst.

"Pretty confident."

Nernst seemed to perk up when he heard Rude say something other than silence or "no." He smirked and pushed some loose hair behind his ear. Rude absently noticed that the roots of Nernst's hair were jet black. Apparently, he actually bothered to dye his hair again.

"Of course I'm confident. We've already got one of you on our side, I'm fairly certain you'll change your mind too."

It was surprisingly simple and Rude now knew where to take the conversation.

"So Todd is with you?...Who cares? Only one person turned."

"Only one? Don't get so cocky Turk. There are others not so obvious, even within Shinra! And even the Turks!"

He let out a haughty laugh but it quickly faded into a nervous chuckle. Rude was more than amused at the simplicity of it all. It seemed as if Nernst also realized what he had been led to say. He growled in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose. Rude let out a low chuckle and allowed himself to smirk ever so slightly.

"Anything else?"

"…Shut up…"

While he was distracted, Rude took the opportunity to close the distance between them and slammed full force into Nernst. Before his opponent could catch his breath, Rude followed through with a vice-like grip around Nernst's throat. He had him pinned to the ground and Nernst was going nowhere.

However, instead of struggling, or doing anything for that matter, Nernst smiled.

"Seeing this now, I know your skills are being wasted with ShinRa. They force you to kill innocent people, do their dirty work, and get treated like dogs. Wouldn't you rather put your skills to a better cause?"

Rude remained silent as he fished around with his free hand until he had his PHS in his hand. His other hand was still firmly latched onto Nernst's throat. While he juggled between strangling Nernst, finding his PHS and keeping his gun handy, Nernst just watched Rude curiously with a small grin.

"Join me."

"No."

Nernst sighed, but still retained a confident air.

"So quick to answer, just like they ingrain into you at academy."

He finally managed to pull out his PHS and flip it open, all while ignoring what Nernst was talking about. Keeping his grip on Nernst's throat, Rude punched the quick dial for his partner. When he heard it ringing on the receiver end, there was suddenly a loud, and familiar ringing echoing in the alley.

"Hello?"

Both Rude and Nernst craned their necks to look at the person standing casually at the entrance to the alley. Rude snapped his PHS shut and shook his head. Reno just shrugged with his usual nonchalance and began walking forward.

"So dumbass, how'd ya manage to get yourself caught like that?"

Nernst merely sniffed at him and matched Reno's smirk.

"Merely a part of my plan which-"

"Obviously sucks."

There was a slight twitch that suddenly appeared under Nernst's eye when Reno interrupted him. Meanwhile, Rude was still keeping Nernst pinned while not really caring about their childish name calling. He just wanted Reno to do something like help tie Nernst down, call Tseng, or do something other than banter with the enemy.

"Well, that aside, I was telling Rude here about how much better it is away from ShinRa and especially you."

Reno shrugged again and scratched his head in a bored manner.

"That right? And what did he say?"

While Rude was generally a patient man by nature, he was currently reaching the end of his fuse, especially since he was being completely ignored.

"He's such a good boy and told me no."

His partner made a "hm" noise before stopping a little ways away and squatting down next to Nernst. A lop-sided grin worked its way onto his face as he poked Nernst's cheek.

"I don't blame him. You're pick up lines always needed work."

He rapidly shook his head as best he could before grinning widely.

"Perhaps, but everything else is flawless!"

His loud, somewhat maniacal laughter echoed painfully in Rude and Reno's ears. With surprising agility, Nernst twisted his body. It was one of the best methods of getting out of a stranglehold. Twist hard enough to force the captor to shift their grip only slightly and use that brief change to break free by physical force. However, he failed, and quite miserably at that.

"And was that part of your flawlessness?"

"It seems…I underestimated your strength…"

Rude cast him his best "no duh" expression, or as best as he was able to do. However, judging from the embarrassed blush on Nernst's face, he managed to get his point across. Rude, having been trained in close combat, knew exactly what he had tried to do and compensated for it when he first began strangling him. Reno was still in the same position he was before and did not so much as twitch when Nernst made his move. Now, he was just pointing at Nernst and laughing hysterically.

"See, this is why I call you 'dumbass.'"

There was a low growl from Nernst who struggled again, though to Rude, it felt more like he was testing the grip on his neck and the weight of his captor. Rude looked to his partner, who was still laughing, and made him help out.

"Alright, alright. Keep a good grip on him. He's a greasy one…and I'm not just talking about his hair."

Another angry growl escaped Nernst as he glared daggers at Reno who stood up and leaned forward to help grab him. However, before he could do anything, they were all surprised by a sudden bout of screaming. Rude and Reno whipped around to see a young woman pointing and screaming at them. Suddenly, Reno was swearing under his breath as he reached out towards Nernst before turning to look at him. Despite his speed, the distraction was long enough for Nernst to twist and headbutt Rude, causing the grip around his neck to loosen.

Nernst was already beginning his sprint and Reno only managed to grab the end of his braid. But, Nernst jerked away and lept up to a nearby ledge and darted off. Reno looked like he wanted to give chase, however, he was also too distracted by the large, black clump of hair hanging loosely in his hand. Rude was currently too occupied with his head and the now fainted lady to really notice what was in his partner's hand. However, after he checked to make sure nobody else saw anything, he walked over to the lady lying on the ground and picked up her purse. He unzipped it and looked inside. After scattering a few of the cosmetics around, he took the purse with him. Now, it looked like she had been mugged and they did not need to do any crowd control.

With that part done, Rude finally turned his attention to Reno who was still holding the piece of hair in his hand and examining it with an expression of sick fascination. When Rude got closer, he too found it mildly fascinating.

"I didn't think I pulled that hard…for most of his hair to come off anyways…"

Still in a braid, the black chunk of hair was suddenly flung into Rude's face who, in response, quickly swatted it away like it was the grossest thing in the planet.

"…We can't just leave it here…You pick it up."

Rude shook his head. Even though he could tell it was a synthetic extension, there was still something kind of gross about it, how it just lie on the ground in an ugly, black, and hairy pile.

"You pick it up."

They both stood there a few moments in silence. They should have been concerned about Nernst getting away, or figuring out why he was in the city in the first place. However, the two Turks just stood and stared at the mess on the ground. Finally, with a deep, dramatic sigh, Reno leaned forward and picked the piece of hair up. He held it pinched between his thumb and forefinger in order to keep from touching it too much.

"Right. Let's go report to Tseng…Why did most of his hair come off?...I was positive it was naturally long…at least it was when he was a Turk…Man, this guy gets creepier as the day goes on…"

Rude agreed whole heartedly. He also agreed with Reno to take backstreets when returning. It would look quite out of place if they had to step over an unconscious woman before leaving. Not to mention the chunk of hair dangling limply from Reno's hand. As they were walking, Reno kept studying the hair with mild disgust and curiosity causing Rude to shake his head.

"What? It's weird, okay?"

"Right…How long were you watching?"

He did not know why that suddenly popped into his head, but as he thought about it, it was a legitimate question. For Reno to have been standing around so casually, he must have been there for a little while. Looking over at his partner, he was not surprised to see Reno smirking.

"Oh, I don't know…around the time Nernst was telling you how he purposely was where he was for whatever reason, yada, yada. I try not to remember too much of what he says."

So it was just like Rude though. Reno had been watching them more or less from the beginning. It was not quite bitterness, but something close to it, that he felt knowing that Reno could have stepped in earlier and maybe then, Nernst would not have gotten away. He debated on whether to say something or not, but before he could make up his mind, Rude found himself distracted by the offending length of hair being shoved into his face. He swatted it away and when he turned his head to glare at his partner, he found Reno smug and smirking as usual.

"What's with that face? Yeah, I could have stepped in earlier, but…I wanted to see."

"…See?"

Reno maintained his smug smirk, but there was something different than usual. It did not seem as carefree. There was something colder about it. Then, that smug smirk turned into a wolfish grin.

"I wanted to see what you'd say. He's an idiot, but still dangerous. Didn't he say he had spies within the company?"

That is what it was. What it boiled down to was whether or not Reno could trust him or not. It was a perfectly understandable sentiment considering the current times and situation, however, Rude could not shake off an odd feeling gnawing at the back of mind. Whatever it was, Rude did not particularly care for it, and so, he muffled it.

"True."

He remained neutral, but of course, Reno somehow could read him like an open book and in a flash, he was casting his mocking smirk.

"Don't feel bad. I was pretty sure ya wouldn't, but, Tseng always tells me to err on the side of caution."

"Or laziness."

Rude was suddenly bombarded by the ugly chunk of hair as Reno continued to smack him with it for that comment. As always, they slipped into an easy, joking relationship, but still, Rude could not shake that nagging feeling. It made him uncomfortable and thusly, he tried his hardest to push it away, and was successful for the most part.

"Hey, I was doing legitimate work!"

"Even though he escaped?"

Everything was much easier like this. So, the two of them pestered each other, each in their own ways, all the way to headquarters. For appearance' sake, they ceased their teasing when they entered the looming building and Reno kept the hand holding the hair slightly behind him. The trip to the Turks' main offices was silent even though Reno would occasionally whip Rude with the hair by "accident."

When the elevator stopped on their floor, the two of them stepped out and marched to Tseng's office. Reno was about to open the door, but Rude softly coughed, causing Reno to sigh. Instead of going for the handle, Reno knocked on the wooden door a few times.

"Happy now?"

Rude nodded his head in approval, though he had the feeling Reno could pick up on the sarcasm in his action.

"Enter."

Reno shook his head while opening the door. Rude quietly shut it behind him. When Rude faced Tseng again, he pursed his lips together to keep from forming an expression. Instead, he cleared his throat softly while adjusting the knot of his tie.

Ever so slowly, Tseng reached a pale hand up and peeled off the chunk of hair plastered to his face, courtesy of Reno's pitching arm. He dropped it on his desk with a dull thud and glared venomous daggers at his subordinate who just looked at him innocently.

"Am I to always expect surprise pieces of hair with you two involved?"

"Don't look at me. Neither of the two cases were my fault."

Rude looked over at him and shook his head.

"Both were."

His partner looked to the side and crossed his arms. Tseng joined Rude in shaking his head at Reno's actions before turning his attention to Rude.

"Now, what can I do for you and does it have something to do with…this?"

He prodded the chunk of hair on his desk with a pen before staring expectantly at Rude and Reno. Seeing as Reno was not paying attention, or just choosing not to, the task of reporting fell to Rude.

"Sir. We ran into Nernst."

This caused Tseng to straighten up in his chair. He leaned forward curiously and Rude took that as an indication to continue.

"Unfortunately, he escaped."

Tseng made a soft "hm" noise before leaning back into his chair and lacing his fingers together.

"How?"

"Rude had a good grip on him, but then there was a screamer."

Rude was glad when Reno decided to get involved. Tseng suddenly looked perplexed for a few seconds.

"Screamer?...Nernst?"

This caused Reno to start laughing and Tseng to switch his attention to Rude.

"No sir. A woman passed by and started screaming and-"

"She was freakin' loud. Startled the hell out of all of us."

While not quite the words he was going to use, Rude felt that properly conveyed what had happened. Reno then pointed to the chunk of hair on the desk.

"I grabbed him by the hair as he was running but…it kind of came off…"

Now, all three of them were staring at the piece of hair on the desk. Finally, Tseng cleared his throat and looked back up at Reno.

"So you had the chance to bring him in and you let him get away."

Reno sputtered in disbelief as Tseng leveled his glare at him.

"Tck. Hell no! I didn't just say, 'Hey, how 'bout I just say hi and let him go.'"

"Don't take that tone with me. There were two of you and one of him. How-"

"How do you think?! It's him, it's freakin' Nernst! You're the people that hired him in the first place, I would hope you remembered how he was!"

Rude stood to the side quietly though he felt like he might have to intervene at some point in the future seeing as how angry Reno was and how tense and increasingly angry Tseng was. However, before the situation could escalate any further, the door slammed open and Veld walked in.

"What is all the racket?"

Both Tseng and Reno paused what they were doing to stare at Veld like children being caught doing something wrong. Reno crossed his arms and clamped his mouth shut while Tseng cleared his throat, all under Veld's watchful gaze. He nodded his head.

"Better. Now, seeing as I was able to hear the entire conversation, Reno, come with me. Rude, continue your report to Tseng."

Not daring to argue with the commander, Reno just softly growled and followed behind Veld as he left the room. As they passed, Rude thought he heard the commander mumbling about separating children before closing the door behind them. Now, he was left alone with Tseng who still looked tense, but much more under control. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Alright. How about I get the report from the beginning."

Rude proceeded to explain how he and Reno were taking a break and Reno went off to find something when he thought he spotted Nernst. Then, he recounted the events leading up to Nernst' escape. However, he left out the part about Reno being present but not doing anything for a while. From the recent argument between Reno and Tseng, Rude felt it best to leave that part out. Even though remembering that irked him for some reason, it would only cause more problems at this point in time. Besides, he had no way of knowing what Reno was telling Veld. For now, he would just tell things in the best way he knew how; simple and straightforward.

When he finished, Tseng sat quietly at his desk in deep thought. After a few seconds ticked by, he finally sighed and leaned back into his chair.

"I see…It helps hearing things in order. Alright then. Why Nernst was here is second to what he had to say to you."

"What didn't he say…"

Rude absently mumbled to himself as he recalled how easily Nernst could be led into revealing information. Ignoring the small odd look from Tseng, Rude then told him how there were moles within ShinRa and even within the Turks. Also, he mentioned that Todd was still working with him.

When he finished, Tseng pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, quite audibly, from behind his desk. This new information was troubling, that much was clear. Rude knew this threw a wrench in the fine-tuned machine of ShinRa and also knew that if there were traitors within the Turks, there was a whole new level of paranoia and stress. When people are trained to kill and more importantly, trained to lie and hide the truth, how does anybody know whom to trust? Rude was positive this very thought had to be going through Tseng's mind right now, just as it was probably going through Veld's head. Chances were Reno already thought about it, but then again, there was also a chance he had not, or at least, not to the extent the superiors were thinking.

"It was good fortune that Nernst was not able to hold his tongue. However, we now face an extremely complicated situation."

Tseng was reclining in his chair, shoulders slumped. Rude wondered if he was thinking about how to weed out the traitors from the trusted employees. Hopefully, this would not lead to a paranoid witch hunt, but considering who the Turks' department head was, Rude had a feeling it could easily turn into one. It was no secret Heidegger had no great love for the Turks. Now there was the perfect excuse to thin the ranks of an "unnecessary cost." On top of that, there was now a new wave of paranoia just waiting to flood the department.

"This is the last thing we need now. However, I will need to talk with Veld. For now, stay close and keep this to yourself."

"Yes, sir."

Rude saluted and dismissed himself from the office. After closing the door behind him, Rude looked a little down the hallway towards the commander's office. The door was shut and he could hear no discernable noises from the other side. He supposed it would be quiet since Reno was with Veld of all people, but he was expecting a bit of an outburst.

"What?! HELL NO!"

Apparently Rude spoke too soon. He shook his head as it went silent again. However, it did not take long for the door to slam open. Reno stormed out of the office glaring pointedly at the floor in front of him. He made no indication of noticing Rude's presence until he passed right by him in the hallway. Here he stopped, though continued to look at the floor, and sighed dejectedly.

"Can you believe this crap? I don't even wanna think about what's gonna happen now…Plus, can you believe it? Somehow, that fat bastard has gotten wind of it and is on the war path already!...Guess who's he's goin' after first?"

That really was not that surprising the more Rude thought about it. However, he did not know what kind of evidence Heidegger, the fat bastard, could bring against Reno. As far as he could tell, Reno would be one of the harder ones to get rid of. Surely Reno must have known that, but considering the seething expression, it did not matter. He was angry to say the least.

"Things happen how they do."

Reno gave him a bland, somewhat I-can't-believe-you-said-that sort of look. But of course, like most of Reno's moods, it shifted to a lop-sided grin of amusement. He shook his head and continued onward. Rude followed not far behind. Even though the day had not been that long, it certainly felt like it. However, it did not take long to arrive at their apartment where Reno promptly collapsed onto the couch. He grabbed one of the throw pillows and smashed it against his face where he promptly let out a muffled, very frustrated yell. Then, there was silence. But of course, the silence did not last long. Rude shook his head.

"Mmmph mmf."

Rude also had no idea what his partner was saying, but it did not sound that urgent, so he did not pursue it. These days, it was often times easier not to ask. He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a couple bottles of ever present beer. With little ceremony, Rude dropped the bottle onto Reno's stomach, who grunted, but removed the pillow in his face.

"Thanks."

He mumbled none too enthusiastically, but mellowed out considerably after taking a few big gulps. Rude took a seat in the armchair that Reno normally occupied and drank from his own bottle. They sat like that for a short while in silence until Reno pointed at him.

"While I'm thinkin' about it…Might wanna watch yourself an' all that. If they're comin' for me, they're comin' for ya too…This is gonna be a sucky week."

With that, he set the now empty bottle on the floor and leaned back into the couch without saying much more. Rude studied Reno who was idly studying the ceiling, thinking about whatever it was Reno bothered to think about. But, Rude had to agree. He had the feeling that all the new recruits would be under the most suspicion. Actually, the more he thought about, the more he realized it would be better to just have a grudge against him rather than his rookie position. At least in Reno's case he had the benefit of being a Turk for a while and nothing that could be brought against him other than being annoying. By the end of his thought process, Rude realized that, yes indeed, this week was going to suck. Suddenly, Rude felt the need for a stronger drink.

"I know, right? There isn't enough alcohol in the world to deal with this…And don't worry about that either. Not enough liquor is a universally understood expression."

There was a slight smirk from Reno who put his hands behind his head and sighed. Rude shook his head in mild amusement and honestly did feel better about it. But still, that urge for something stronger to drink was still there.

"Well, I guess all we can do is sit around and wait…I wonder what the others think? I'm sure they've heard by now."

Rude gave no answer as he did not think Reno was expecting one. He also wondered if Reno was worried about any of it. While he loudly let the floor know he was irritated, he had not given any indication of any worry. In some ways, Rude was envious of his partner for either not being worried or hiding it. Both were desirable in Rude's opinion. Then again, his mother always told him to be thankful for what he had, though at the moment, it did not seem like he had that much, especially when his partner was nearby.

Even though he was beginning to pick up on how Reno behaved and functioned, he still knew little to nothing about him whereas Reno seemed to know everything, or at least could tell everything about him just by looking at him. He really needed to figure out what was giving himself away so much. He had never really thought that he had that noticeable of a tell, but clearly, he was wrong seeing as how often Reno practically read his mind. Then again, it was Reno, a person who, despite outwardly being a dolt, had surprisingly sharp insight. It reminded of the first time he played poker with Reno, and the other new recruits, back when Rusty was alive and Todd was not a traitor. Those times now seemed so far away.

"Your pocket's ringin'. Ya gonna answer it sometime today?"

Rude shot him an annoyed glance when he saw the smirk on Reno's face. He pulled out his PHS and answered it.

"Rude."

"_Hey, it's Steve. You busy? How about joining me downstairs in the dining hall?"_

"Fine. I'll be right there."

He tucked the PHS back into his pocket and stood up. After finishing off his bottle of beer with a few quick swigs, he walked to the kitchen to throw it away.

"Don't stay out partying too long, you party animal you!"

Instead of throwing the bottle into the trashcan, Rude opted for chucking it in an upward arc. There was a satisfying, hollow thud followed by a yelp. Reno's head popped into view over the back of the couch. He stuck out his tongue causing Rude to shake his head.

"That was uncalled for. Who ya meetin?"

"Steve."

"Huh…I always seem to forget about him…"

Without saying anything else, Reno's head disappeared behind the couch again. Rude sighed and just left it as Reno being Reno and his habit of forgetting people. Closing the door behind him, Rude strode over to the elevators and punched the button for the dining floor. When he stepped off the elevator, he immediately spotted Steve waving him over.

"Hey Rude. It's been a while."

Rude nodded his head in agreement as he took a seat. A waiter immediately hustled over to ask Rude if he wanted anything. He declined, even though he was tempted to order something from the bar. However, he came to listen to Steve tell him something, not to get drunk.

"So I heard about your run in with Nernst. Everybody's on edge right now. You wouldn't happen to know anything else, would you?"

It was just like he thought. The news had already spread to the others. However, Rude knew as much as the next person over. After telling Steve that, he sighed.

"Oh well, it was worth a try. Anyways, I called you for another reason. Let me get to the point."

He leaned forward and spoke much quieter.

"For a while now, I've been secretly keeping track of Alexander due to suspicious behavior. Now with all this going on, I'm tempted to say that he might be one of the moles working with Nernst."

"You're telling me because?"

Rude would not argue that Alexander was a bit eccentric, but who was not in ShinRa? However, he thought it was weird that he would be telling him and not Tseng or Veld. He was slow to make any indication of agreeing. Steve seemed to pick up on this.

"Because I know you're a trustworthy guy and while I could tell Reno, I'm more inclined to keep this from him. You know how he can be. This could be blown way out of proportion if he became involved."

While that was definitely true, Rude did not think that would be the case. Something did not feel right about this and he suddenly was on guard. Keeping his best game face on, however, Rude decided to hear him out completely and then decide what to do. The more information he could work with, the better.

"Reasonable enough. Have you told Tseng?"

"Not yet. I wanted to get your opinion on the matter first. Things are pretty volatile right now and I don't want to spark any witch hunts."

Nodding his head, Rude just agreed with everything Steve said. Then, he had an idea.

"It's reasonable enough to bring to Tseng's attention. I'll do it."

"Great. I'll come with you."

That was the last thing Rude wanted and in a wonderful turn of fate, the waiter was walking towards their table with a plate of food.

"No need. Enjoy your meal."

With that, he stood up and left as quickly, and casually, as he could. Going over to the elevators once again, Rude punched the button for the Turks' floor. When he arrived at Tseng's office, he politely knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Rude opened the door and stepped in. Tseng was furiously typing something on his computer and paused only to briefly see who it was.

"What can I do for you, Rude?"

"Steve thinks Alexander is the mole."

This caused Tseng to stop typing and look up questioningly at Rude.

"And why are you telling me this and not him?"

Rude opened his mouth to say something but closed it when he realized that his reason for coming were just as unjustified as Steve's. Well, the bullet was already loaded and he might as well fire.

"Something didn't seem right."

Tseng nodded his head in agreement.

"Agreed. Alexander is one of the few I would never question at all. However, I can't just ignore it…Nor can I ignore Steve and your instinct telling you something isn't right about it. But, there is no evidence so I can't do much at this point."

Now that he was here, telling his commanding officer this, Rude suddenly felt fairly stupid for it. He stood rigid as he watched Tseng lean back into his chair and thoughtfully tap his finger against his desk. After a few seconds ticked by, he looked up at Rude.

"Alright. I'll keep this all in mind. Now speaking of Alexander, I just got a distress signal from his PHS…which I find hard to believe considering who it is, but I am not about to ignore it either. So, I'm going to send you to investigate. It's an old apartment complex in the slums. I'll tell you more details when you arrive."

"Sir."

It felt good to get orders to do something. Rude did not know how much more he could take of all the office politics. As he was leaving the office, he was stopped by Tseng.

"Rude. Take Steve with you…Safety in numbers as they say."

"…Sir…"

Once again, something seemed off about the last comment. That seemed to be today's trend. But, whatever the case, Rude did not question it even though all of these off-setting, cryptic comments were beginning to grate on his nerves. He just wanted somebody to say exactly what they meant.

As he was ranting about the indirect nature of the Turks, he ran into Steve who just got off the elevator and was most likely heading for his room.

"Steve."

"What's up? How did it go?"

Rude thought about it a moment before answering.

"Fine. Tseng wants us to investigate a recent distress signal."

Steve scratched his head.

"Distress signal?...Okay, who from?"

"Alexander."

At this point, Rude carefully studied Steve's face when he mentioned Alexander's name. Much to his disappointment, there was indication of anything out of the ordinary.

"Seriously? I doubt that guy would ever be in distress, but I guess orders are orders."

They took the elevator down to the main lobby and walked outside. Their walk was in an easy silence and continued to be so through the train trip down into the slums. When they stepped off the train, they walked out a bit and then looked around.

"So where is this supposed to be?"

Before Rude could tell him Tseng would call, his PHS started to ring.

"_Alright. I'm sending you coordinates right now. The updated version of your PHS should display a map. Follow it._"

The call was quick and to the point. Just how Rude like it. When he hung up, he fiddled with the menu a bit before a general map appeared and a blinking dot. Steve sidled up next to him to get a look at the screen.

"Fancy stuff they've got there. Tracking and GPS!"

Rude ignored Steve's bubbling excitement over technology and immediately set out, following the mini map displayed on his PHS screen. They walked through a couple of sectors until they were in Sector 4 where the signal indicated a large building complex across the road. Quickly running up to the building, Rude and Steve pressed themselves up against the side of the building, in the shadows where they were less noticeable.

Seeing as there was more than one floor, Rude pressed a few buttons on the PHS to see if it could zoom in further and pinpoint the floor. After hitting a few keys, he was successful and the map became larger and in greater detail. Because it was a standard map, it only showed the layout of the floor they were on. So, Rude and Steve took the outside fire escape up to the higher levels, pausing only to see if the signal was on that particular floor.

It was not until they were on the fifth floor when the signal appeared again. Rude motioned towards the floor's fire escape door and Steve quietly crawled towards it. Pulling out his gun, he slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Rude followed closely behind. So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was the average slum apartment complex with some inhabitants, but mainly deserted or trashed. Rude glanced down at his PHS and took the lead. Finally, he paused in front of a dilapidated door. Behind this door was the distress signal. He looked over his shoulder at Steve who silently nodded his head.

Not using much of his strength, Rude knocked the door open gun aimed. However, the room was empty. After checking the other rooms, he found a simple, black PHS lying on the floor. Holding up his own PHS, it was clear that it was the signal. When he leaned down to pick it up, he heard the cocking of a gun.

"…Dammit…"

He slowly stood up with his hands raised. When he turned around, he was not all that surprised to find Steve pointing a gun at him.

"You don't' seem too shocked. Then again, you don't' show a whole lot of emotion, do you?"

"You're the mole."

Steve heaved a dramatic sigh but kept his gun trained on Rude's forehead.

"That idiot. Because he opened his big mouth, he had to make things just that much more difficult. But, I can see why he wants you on our side so badly."

Rude kept silent but internally, he was using every curse word in his vocabulary. He had no clue as to what exactly was making him so angry. He just knew that this day was one of the worst days of his life.

He remained still as Steve grabbed his weapon and the two PHS' now lying on the ground.

"Move."

Rude was herded out of the room and to the stair well. They climbed up a few flights of stairs before they were now on the roof. When they arrived, Rude had to quickly suppress a groan. Sitting casually on the edge of the roof was none other than Nernst. Now, instead of having to deal with one trained Turk, he had to deal with a second one. His odds were steadily growing against him.

He cautiously watched as Nernst waltzed over to him and smiled. Right as he was about to speak, Rude interrupted him.

"No."

There was a look of disbelief on Nernst' face as he sputtered to find the right words. At this, Steve dramatically rolled his eyes.

"Unlike you, he's not an idiot. It's no mystery that you were going to ask him to join you. Again."

With a shrug, he brushed off the withering glare from Nernst and just kept his gun pressed to Rude's back. He cleared his throat and once more opened his mouth, but was interrupted again. This time, however, it was from a new person.

"Now this does not seem that fair to me."

All three turned their heads to find the source of the voice. Stepping from the shadows cast by the other buildings was none other than Alexander himself. He looked neat and impeccable as always and carried his katana at his side. Both Nernst and Steve looked shocked to see him. Rude was just glad, unless Alexander was also on their side. Then, his day just got worse.

"Well, well. This just got interesting…Alright then. Steve, give Rude his weapon back."

Rude and Steve stared at Nernst incredulously while Alexander seemed nonplussed. But, that did not stop him from questioning such motives.

"What are you planning by doing that?"

"Seriously, what the hell?!"

Steve yelled at Nernst who put his hands on his hips and scolded Steve.

"I'm the one in charge here. Do it."

With a loud grumble, Steve slowly and carefully handed Rude's gun back to him from behind. Rude could tell he was tense and ready to act should Rude decided to retaliate. He also carefully took his gun from Steve, not wanting to spook him or do anything else that might make his trigger finger twitch. When he received his gun back, the door leading to the roof suddenly slammed open.

"Whoa! This is some serious shit I just walked in on, huh? Don't mind me. I just thought I would follow."

Rude was happy and at the same time very unsure about the new backup. As sure as he was standing there in a face-off with the company's most wanted people, Reno was standing there looking somewhat confused. The only person who did not seem surprised was Nernst.

"Everything worked according to plan. Good work leading him here…Rude."

This caused everybody to stare at Rude who was at a loss of words. He quickly turned to his partner to see how he responded and was not thrilled with the angry expression on Reno's face. He wanted to open his mouth to say something in his defense, but he could not due so quickly enough. Suddenly, Reno lunged and decked him in the jaw.

"How could you, ya sonuvabitch. I'll freakin' take ya out now!!"

* * *

**A/N:** So I put out another chapter during finals. At least I've accomplished something. I hate my finals this semester...Anyways, that's not what matters here. Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think. Also, I hope it didn't suck and/or not make any sense. Again, I've been swamped with finals, I've been drugged up on cough syrup with codeine, and am way up past sleeptime. So, if there's something totally off, let me know. Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy. Oh yeah, I've also been getting these questions a bit: "How long is this story?" "Where is the story right now?" The answers are, it is long and it is currently somewhere between the beginning and the end. I have events that need to happen and other than that, I really know nothing. I can only tell you that it is long because I'm a stickler for developing details...whether or not I actually properly develop anything...But anyways, that's the case, so I hope you stick in there and keep on enjoying the story. Happy reading!


	27. Catharsis

Rude was shocked. He had not expected that kind of reaction out of Reno. As he stared him down on the rooftop, Rude could not find any words to even begin to deny anything. Standing to the side was Alexander who also appeared to be somewhat in shock, though he got over the initial surprise quickly.

"Reno, not now! We need Nernst."

Out of the corner of his eye, Rude could see Nernst looking increasingly smugger and more relaxed while Reno remained scowling. He should have been concerned about convincing his partner that he was innocent. However, all he could currently think about was how much he did not want to be on Reno's bad side in a fight. Tensing, waiting for Reno to make good on his threat and pounce him, Rude felt his stomach twist into uncomfortable knots as he held his breath. Before he could fully exhale, he faintly registered that Reno lunged forward. It was only due to years of trained reflexes that he instinctively darted sideways, out of the way of Reno. He heard an odd screeching noise then.

"Shit!"

As he regained his balance, he saw Reno collide with Nernst and they both tumbled towards the edge of the roof. Even though he was not sure why Reno went right past him, he would deal with it later. Right now, it was as if the light bulb finally turned on and he suddenly turned his attention towards Steve who was distracted by the sudden change in atmosphere and the wrestling match occurring between former partners at the edge of the roof.

Taking the opportunity of distraction, Rude grabbed Steve's arm and twisted with as much force as he could muster. Of course, it was only natural for Steve to yell and attempt to move his body with the direction his arm was heading. As he did, Rude used his free arm to wrap around Steve's neck in a headlock and kicked at the joint behind the kneecap. Steve was quickly brought to his knees while remaining in Rude's death grip around his neck. He was about to ask Alexander to call for back up or something when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his upper arm. The sudden sensation caused him to loosen his headlock on Steve, which was more than enough for him to kick behind him and roll away.

Rude staggered as he felt his arm where the pain was coming from. He felt the handle of a small throwing knife. Grunting in pain, he yanked the blade from his arm. Fortunately, it was not that deep, but it still stung more than Rude would ever admit to anybody. However, it still caused him to curse to himself when he registered who the blade belonged to.

"Back away Rude!"

Sure enough, Scott was standing at the rooftop entrance holding a fistful of knives at ready. Steve backed away from Rude who was now very confused as to what side everybody was on. Was Scott helping Steve because he was a traitor as well, or was it because he thought Rude was the bad guy attacking his partner? As these questions churned in his head, Rude slowly stood up so as to not give Scott a reason to throw more sharp objects at him.

"Scott! Rude is with Nernst! Take him down!"

Why was everybody accusing him of being aligned with Nernst? Rude opened his mouth to say something but before he could, he saw the edge of Alexander's blade against Scott's throat. By now, Steve sufficiently recovered and had his gun drawn and aimed at Rude. Scott stared at Steve, then Rude. Next, he looked out of the corner of his eye at Alexander.

"You're with him?"

Scott still held firm to his blades though he was being cautious with Alexander's blade pressed against his throat. Meanwhile, Alexander seemed slightly perplexed.

"Wait, which 'him?'"

For a few tense moments, all of them just stared at each other. Rude was faintly aware of Reno and Nernst still fighting in the background, but right now, his attention was focused on determining who was who. In the midst of going over the turn of events in his head, Rude suddenly felt the air knocked out of him. As he attempted to remove the object that had obstructed his airway, he felt it squirm. He forced his eyes to focus and he saw Reno sprawled on top of him looking a little dazed. However, that did not stop him from being loud.

"Scott, ya senile dumbass! Steve's with Nernst!"

"I am not senile, you little punk and I…wait, he is?"

Reno managed to get off of Rude and attempted to regain his balance. While doing so, he growled in frustration.

"What are ya doin' here? I thought I said stay put!"

Even though Alexander still had his katana held to Scott's throat, he still waved his arms in a frustrated manner as he yelled back at Reno.

"I came because Steve's my partner and why are you here?!"

"Commander told me to!"

They began yelling back and forth at each other, which made Rude idly wonder about Scott's true age if he was in the midst of such a childish yelling match. While they were focused on the argument, Nernst managed to drag himself to his feet after having been kicked in the head none to gently by Reno. He shook his head a couple of times before turning his attention to all the noise. Rude saw Nernst stand up and made a move to attack him when he heard the cocking of a gun. During the confusion, he had forgotten about Steve still pointing a gun in his direction.

"It doesn't matter! Whose side are ya on?"

At some point, Reno had managed to position himself between Rude and Steve even though his attention was still on Scott. Rude was curious as to what Reno was planning on and whether or not he still thought Rude was with Nernst. Even though logic was telling him not to trust what Reno was doing or going to do, Rude decided to pull a Reno and throw logic out the window. When he came to that decision, Scott also came to his.

"…ShinRa."

With that, Reno sprinted and dove for Steve. When he heard the gunshot and felt no impact, Rude darted straight for Nernst. Too tired and confused to care about form, Rude just relied on momentum and his size to take down Nernst. Sure enough, physics came through for him and Nernst was sent flying across the roof and onto the floor. Rude was happy that Nernst had not rocketed off the edge of the building since he realized he was already close to the edge when Rude slammed into him. It would be an even worse way to end the already bad day if their main culprit accidentally died because he went splat on the ground.

Seeing as Nernst was not getting up too fast, Rude walked over to him and was about to reach down and grab him when he felt something whiz by his head. He turned his attention to where it came from and it was a good thing he did. Another object flew towards Rude and forced him to back away from Nernst.

"Make up your freakin' mind!!"

Reno was currently grappling with Steve on the ground, and yelling at Scott who was preparing to throw more of his knives. Steve maneuvered around and pinned Reno resulting his head to crack against the ground. A short distance away, Alexander was just beginning to stand up. He had lowered his katana once Scott claimed to be on their side, then, out of nowhere, Scott whipped around and punched him as hard as he could. Rude could see the cracks in Alexander's glasses.

"Excellent! I knew you would see it our way!"

By now, Nernst had picked himself off the ground, though he was holding his nose. A small trickle of blood dribbled though his fingers and Rude was happy to know he had broken his nose. Nernst spit out some blood as he slowly backed away. Again, Rude began to move forward, but once again had to back up to avoid the small blade whizzing by his face. Alexander was about to take down Scott when he suddenly whipped around and sent a set of knives at him. Bringing his sword up, Alexander deflected the blades, but it was too late. When he threw knives at Alexander, he threw some more at Reno who most likely did not feel like becoming a pincushion. He rolled away, managing to avoid the blades while Steve bounced up and ran towards Nernst followed closely by Scott. With a triumphant smirk, Nernst pointed at Reno who was glaring pointedly at him.

"Scott, ya know this means we get to kill ya on sight now, right?"

He looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he turned his head away dejectedly. Nernst seemed to not care as he pointed at Reno.

"Things are falling apart all around you, Reno. You even believed your partner betrayed you!"

"Yer a real dumbshit, ya know that, right?"

This caused Nernst to change his expression to one of suspicion. Now, it was Reno's turn to smirk.

"I wasn't talkin' about Rude. The guy's too straight-laced. You just happened to be standing behind him and I'll be honest, I can't see worth a damn around the guy."

Rude felt neither relief nor anger. He just wanted this farce of a showdown to end. But, before any of the remaining Turks could do anything, Steve tossed a small object at them and then there was a blinding flash.

When Rude was able to see properly again, Nernst, Scott, and Steve were already gone. He cursed under his breath as he closed his eyes and plopped on the ground. He heard Alexander making a frustrated growl and Reno being oddly silent. Opening one eye, Rude looked around to see Reno standing at the edge of the building rooftop staring across the slums and frowning.

"Sorry 'bout that…"

Reno walked over to where Rude was sitting and sat down across from him. Rude watched him carefully as he attempted to process what had just occurred. While he was thinking, Alexander joined them in sitting. They remained silent and just heaved a giant sigh. Finally, Alexander looked questioningly at Reno.

"So what was that all about?"

"Eh?...Oh, that. It's just like I said. Not my fault I can't see around ya."

He pointed at Rude, who felt like nothing more than an object at the moment, before continuing.

"I never really got the chance to say that to Nernst, so I figured I might as well say it now and OW!"

Quick enough to surprise even Reno, Rude whapped him on the head with his fist. Reno grabbed his head and rocked back and forth. A small smile crept onto Alexander's face.

"Serves you right…but you never doubted Rude?"

"Pfft. No. Why would I fall for that retarded kind of trick? Might have worked had Rude not looked like an iced chocobo caught in the headlights. Besides, I OW!"

Once again Reno was clutching his head and growling profanities at Rude who looked far too satisfied with himself. Alexander could not help but chuckle some more. Reno glowered at Rude.

"I was going to say it was a good chance to get Nernst off guard. Always was a weak point."

Alexander smiled.

"Yes, partnered with you…Heh, you two made quite the ADD pair."

Before Reno could lunge over to hit Alexander for his comment, he brought his sheathed katana down on Reno's head eliciting an angry yelp.

"…So, how do we explain this little faux pas to the Commander?"

Both Reno and Rude dropped their heads as they thought about it. Rude sighed and was truly concerned about it. Veld did not seem to want too much out of them except professional work and positive outcomes. With the whole fiasco with Nernst and the still unknown terrorists, the Turks, and Rude felt himself, were letting the commander down in every sense of the term.

"Who knows? I'm sure he ain't gonna be happy, but he's reasonable."

Reno rubbed the back of his neck almost nervously as if he was not quite sure about that comment. Whatever the case, they could not sit there forever so finally, Alexander stood up with a grunt and dusted off his suit.

"I agree with you, Reno. Now, we best return. I also have to explain why my PHS was lost in the first place."

Without any more words to Rude or Reno, Alexander strolled to the door and began descending the stairs. Rude listened to the echoing steps gradually fade away and sighed again as he looked over at his partner.

Reno was staring at the floor intently though Rude could not make out too much since Reno's red hair hung over his face like a curtain. He had not realized it earlier, but at some point, Reno's goggles were lost and now his already unkempt hair hung every which way. Rude did not know how he did not find having half his hair in his face. Before he shaved his head, Rude had already determined hair to be an unnecessary nuisance, not to mention the fact he hated how it felt when it got in his face.

"Bastard broke my goggles…"

He shook his head wildly, flipping his hair in all directions only to have it settle back in front of his face when he remained still. Rude watched him continue to blow at the stray hair that sometimes clung to his mouth. Growling in frustration, Reno raked his hands through his hair furiously and tugged on the ends a bit before letting go. It did not fix much except force some of it to lay down flat and part the hair in the front.

"Sometimes I think you got the bald thing right."

Satisfied as much as he could be, Reno grudgingly stood up and stretched.

"Wanna head back now?"

Better now than never. Nodding his head once, Rude also stood up and dusted off his suit. After making sure it was in order, he followed behind Reno who did not seem all that eager to leave considering he was taking the steps down awfully slow. While they were walking down the stairs, Rude grabbed his upper arm. During all the fighting, the adrenaline in his body made it easy to forget the dull, aching pain in his upper arm. But now that the fighting was over and the adrenaline was replaced with a heavy tiredness, Rude was uncomfortably aware that he was lucky Steve did not use one of his larger throwing knives. When he pulled his hand away, it felt vaguely sticky and guessed the blood had already coagulated. So now all he was left with was a sticky pain.

"Sorry. Didn't bring any cure materia with me."

Rude was startled since Reno had never turned around once to look. He was sure he had not made any noise when he grabbed his arm. When they were on the second floor landing, Reno paused and smirked over his shoulder.

"I didn't fail to notice your pincushion status and my body aches like a bitch right now. Figured you had to be feelin' it too?"

Even though he remained silent he had the feeling Reno already picked up on that. He said nothing else as he continued down the stairs. Once again, they walked in silence, leaving Rude to his own thoughts. As always seemed to be the case, he was left studying his partner's back. Reno, despite admitting being in pain, did not really give any indication he was in any except for the slightly more sluggish way he walked. Of course, to anybody else it looked like a normal, not twitchy pace, but for Rude, he could tell he was tired. When Reno pushed open the stairwell door, Rude was greeted by the buzz of neon lights and pedestrians littering the dirty streets.

"Damn…even in this junky neighborhood it's busy. Guess they didn't hear the commotion…or didn't care…or were too scared…That's good though. No crowd control work."

After his eyes adjusted to the new lighting, Rude looked around. Sure enough, people were walking around like nothing out of the ordinary had happened despite the gunshots and screaming. Then again, gunshots and screaming were probably nothing new to most of the people living below the plates. Rude scoffed at the idea of creating the plate system as a way for everybody to get equal benefits while maximizing the carrying capacity. He was no engineer, but even he could see it was not going to help anybody except those with enough money to make their living on the top.

"Ya comin'?"

Reno was already a good deal ahead of him waving him over. Rude increased his pace to catch up with his partner. As he walked towards him, he noticed a small trail of blood droplets. Just as he approached, Reno continued walking without a word though began wiping his hand on his pant leg. It was just enough for Rude to make out a small trail of blood leaking from under his jacket sleeve. However, before he could ask if he was alright, Reno began grumbling.

"Dammit…I'm gonna get yelled at for ruining another suit…blood stains aren't so bad, but these tears ain't gonna be fixed by needle and thread."

He looked over his shoulder and scrutinized Rude.

"Well, at least I ain't the only one in need of a new suit…though the grunge look looks pretty bad on ya. OW!"

For the fourth time that day, Reno clutched his head and glared indignantly. Rude just shrugged and kept walking. He heard grumbling from behind him and knew Reno was now following behind him. They walked to the railway station and Rude easily ignored the odd, furtive glances cast his way. It was odd enough to have a couple of Turks roaming about, let alone a couple of bleeding and beat up looking ones. Though Rude just pushed them out of sight and out of mind, Reno was not as willing to put up with it. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut, but with a single moment of eye contact from him caused everybody even faintly nearby to find a reason to move just a little bit farther away and discover how interesting their shoes could be. Rude gave him an unenergetic reproving glare to which Reno answered with a casual shrug.

In no short amount of time, the train leading to the upper level arrived and everybody gave them wide berth when they passed by. Despite the amount of crowding in the other cars, the space around Rude and Reno was awkwardly empty. Seeing as nobody was even going to try and take a seat nearby, Rude plopped down in one of the seats across from Reno who was already lounging across a couple of seats. They rode in silence until their stop came and they both made soft moans of protest at having to move from their spot. Reno was the first one off the car followed closely by Rude. When they stepped off, they were greeted by an eager Cissnei who immediately spotted them and ran over.

"Wow, you really do look bad. I figured you might want a ride back?"

"You are a saint."

Rude could not agree any more. He followed behind Cissnei who led them to a nondescript black car. She waltzed to the driver's side and opened the door.

"Oh, try not to get blood on my upholstery."

Rude and Reno shared an amused look before getting in and immediately relaxing. Of course, they were also both careful not to get any blood on the upholstery. Rude looked over at Reno who kept rubbing his hand against his pants in an effort to keep the trickle of blood from getting all over. Finally, he growled in frustration and clamped a hand over his shoulder. Heaving a sigh, he reclined back in his seat and shot Rude a questioning glance. Rude shook his head. There was no reason for him to be concerned seeing as how Reno was just making a fuss of things as per usual.

"Okay, we're back!"

The car pulled to a stop in front of the service elevator in the parking garage, much to the relief of Rude. There were many things they could get away with, but walking through the front lobby looking a little worse for wear was most likely not one of them. Cissnei waited for them to reach it before pressing the button.

When they walked inside, Cissnei swiped her identification card through the reader and pressed the button for their floor. It hummed to life and soon they were stepping off and heading towards the commander's office. Reno sighed audibly, though there was no doubt Rude wanted to do so too, but of course, propriety forced him to keep it to himself. Cissnei knocked a couple of times and they were immediately given permission to enter.

"Report."

Rude could tell Reno wanted to groan, but straightened up nonetheless and saluted, as did Rude. His voice came out in a rapid mumble, unenthusiastic and uncharacteristically detached.

"See, I followed Rude like you said and when I got there, Nernst was going on about whatever it is he talks about and I couldn't see around him. Now Steve, Alexander, and of course, Rude were already there doing whatever, and then, there was a bunch of yelling and Steve pulled my hair while Alexander was doing something or another then Scott was all going, like, one way then another, and then there was this bright flash and they went poof…and I think I lost brain cells."

All eyes turned towards Reno who stared back at each of them in turn with a blank stare. Under normal circumstances, he would have been severely berated. However, no matter how much of a protocol slacker he was, he would never be in the right state of mind to report to the commander of the Turks in such a manner. That only left him to not be in the right state of mind, or at least, not completely.

Even if the commander disproved or was surprised, he hid it well and simply turned to Rude.

"Care to clarify?"

Rude cleared his throat.

"I followed the distress signal and it led to Nernst on the roof. It appeared Alexander already engaged him. However, Steve turned on me and joined with Nernst. He had been the mole all along. Then Reno appeared and tackled Nernst while I attempted to deal with Steve, but Scott showed up as well and after clearing up confusion as to whom was on who's side, Scott chose to go with Nernst and Steve."

He took a deep breath when he finished and studied the commander for a reaction. The only readable expression Rude could determine was mild frustration. He had no way of knowing what or who Veld was frustrated with. Was it their failure to capture Nernst again or the loss of two more Turks to the terrorists? Or, was it something completely else?

After a pregnant pause, Veld leaned back in his chair and nodded his head slowly.

"Alright. It seems Scott's arrival was the added confusion?"

A nod from Rude let him know he was right.

"I see. Normally, I would tell both of you to get your act together if you want to keep your jobs…However, I'm not as unreasonable as to hold an uncontrollable circumstance against you. There was too much you didn't know going in and you did all you could…if judging from your appearances that is."

Rude could have collapsed from the relief he suddenly felt. It was a weight off his shoulders and one less thing for him to think about. He breathed much easier.

"Any questions, comments, or concerns?"

About to shake his head no, Rude was surprised when Reno suddenly spoke up. He only hoped he made a little more sense this time around.

"You wouldn't happen to have a cure materia on you by any chance, would you?"

As he spoke, he staggered a little bit before leaning forward and clutching the front of Veld's desk. Cissnei immediately moved forward to help, but Reno swatted her hand away causing her to huff a little bit.

"Never mind. I'm good. I'm good. All's good."

Staying calm, Veld casually leaned forward a bit and studied Reno's face a moment before resuming his reclined position.

"Cissnei, take care of Rude's injuries. Reno…Reno. Look, look at me. Focus."

With one hand Veld waved Cissnei away signaling she and Rude were allowed to leave. With his other hand, Veld kept his index finger extended and moved it back and forth in front of Reno's face slowly. Rude watched him a moment before Cissnei ushered him out of the office and down the hallway.

"I think Reno might have a concussion."

There was an inkling of regret at the back of Rude's mind for hitting Reno on the head multiple times when he might have had a concussion. But it was quickly erased when he thought about the entire day. For some reason he could not name, Rude was absolutely frustrated with how things had been progressing recently. He silently followed Cissnei down the hallway staring ahead of him but not actually looking at anything. He even ignored the few side glances he received from Cissnei who, for once, seemed at a loss for any meaningful words.

"Um, well, hold on a sec. I have some master level cure materia in my room."

Unaware to Rude, they had since arrived at Cissnei's apartment. He absentmindedly nodded to her as she unlocked the door and slipped inside. Rude leaned against the wall next to the doorway and crossed his arms. There was soft mumbling from within the apartment so Rude guessed Alexander was already back and had reported to Veld. After a little bit more hushed whispering, Cissnei reappeared with a small orb in her hands.

"I don't think it's that serious so I'll just use materia and that should be alright."

Rude nodded his head and tried to relax while she summoned the energy from the orb she held in her hands. A dull green light glowed from her hands and Rude immediately felt the skin around his injury healing. After the glow faded, Rude tentatively prodded his arm and only felt dry and sticky blood.

"Thanks."

He was going to walk away after thanking her, but he stopped mid step when she called out to him again.

"It's never as bad as we think it is. Just keep looking forward."

Her words did not mean a whole lot to him at the moment, but he could not help, for a few moments at least, feel at ease with her encouraging smile and cheerful wave. Turning back around, Rude continued onwards to his own apartment. He fished around for his keys and unlocked the door with a little more force than was necessary, but he did manage to keep it under control when closing the door. Looking around, things were exactly like he left it and it felt like ages since he had seen it.

It may be his home from now on, Rude still could not quite get used to the feel of the place. Granted, he had not been working for ShinRa that long, but it still should not feel like walking into another person's, a stranger's, home.

Peeling off his jacket, Rude draped it over his arm as he made his way to his room. Shutting the door behind him, Rude tossed it to a corner of the room and continued onwards to the bathroom. He immediately started the water running in the shower and while it was heating up, he leaned forward against the counter and studied his reflection in the mirror.

With only a few places covered in dirt or grime, he actually looked in decent shape despite how he might have felt inside. He sighed rubbed his hand over his face roughly before running it over his head. Deciding that just standing around was doing nothing, he quickly undressed and took a long hot shower. Even after cleaning up, he just stood under the spray for a while letting it work out the stiffness in his muscles. After staying in long enough to create his own sauna, Rude reluctantly turned off the water and dried off.

Though he felt better after cleaning up, he still felt uncomfortable. Growling in frustration as to what was making him so irritable, Rude grabbed another suit from the closet and quickly dressed in it. As he was beginning to knot his tie, Rude suddenly paused and looked down at the plain black tie in his hands. Not quite sure why he was staring so intently at the simple tie, Rude continued to do so without much of a thought in his head before slipping it off and tossing it on top of his bed along with his jacket. Feeling much more comfortable, Rude stepped out of his room and upon entering the living room, he looked around and studied it.

Everything was in its particular place, clean, and annoying. There was no logical reason for Rude to feel annoyed at the furniture, since they had no choice as to where they were placed, and Rude knew it too. This just added to his mounting frustration at something. Whenever he was ever feeling worked up, he used to just go to the gym or training room and work out the pent up energy, however, he was still too tired physically and mentally to do with it. On top of it all, he would most likely run into other people and right now he was feeling particularly reclusive.

Shaking his head in an illogical attempt to clear it, Rude strode to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer from the seemingly endless supply. With little ceremony, he tore off the cap to the bottle and dropped himself onto the couch. He knew he should be drinking water right now and definitely not drinking something like alcohol that only served to dehydrate him further than he knew he already was. Before taking another deep gulp, he contemplated the bottle a bit before shrugging. Hydration be damned. Taking another giant gulp from the bottle, Rude wished he had something stronger on hand.

It did not take much for him to polish off the rest of the alcohol. He wanted another one, but he did not want to put forth the effort of getting up, walking over, and grabbing another. So instead, he left himself to sulk. Again, Rude tried to figure out why he felt so exhausted yet still so agitated. His leg lightly and rapidly bounced up and down as he reviewed over the events of the day, trying to pinpoint exactly what was bother him so much. Too lost in his thoughts, he did not hear the door open and close with little care.

"Did ya know I still get freakin' carded when I buy this stuff?"

Trying not to put too much effort into it, Rude looked over his shoulder to see Reno holding a skinny paper sack. He tore away at it and pulled out a large bottle of what Rude determined to be vodka. It was about time somebody around here knew what real alcohol was. Reno slinked over to his usual armchair and unceremoniously dropped himself on to it. Waiting for no invitation, he twisted the cap and set it on the armrest. Then, he took a large shot of the clear liquid and grimaced a bit before taking another swig. The bottle was then passed over to Rude who grabbed it without a word and also took a large gulp from it. He too made a bit of face at the initial burning sensation at the back of his throat but was enjoying every moment of it. He passed the bottle back to Reno who rolled his head to the side in order to look at Rude. Somewhere in his tired mind, Rude noted that Reno appeared a bit more focused but did not really care.

"What's wrong with you?"

Rude grunted in response to the question not particularly interested in having a conversation right now, especially one about his new wave of irritability.

"Nothing."

There was silence for a few minutes before Rude had to cringe again.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

He eyed Reno suspiciously, daring him to ask again. Either Reno did not notice or just simply chose to be ignorant of Rude's warning glare.

"What's wrong with you?"

His hands balled into fists and he clenched his teeth together. Rude could feel a vein throbbing in side of his head as he stared at his partner. The minute he saw Reno open his mouth to talk, Rude jumped in instead.

"You. You're my problem."

With that, he huffed and crossed his arms and looked forward. He heard something akin to a chuckle from Reno and immediately whipped his head around to face him. Sure enough, Reno had an amused smirk on his face as he continued to lazily meet Rude's glare.

"That so? Why? Ya still mad about me not helpin' earlier? Or are ya mad about the rooftop incident?"

Something snapped in Rude. Without warning, he lunged forward from his seat and grabbed Reno by the collar. He wanted to say something, but in his anger, he was having difficulty finding appropriate words and he did not need Reno laughing at him if he said something stupid.

"You…why do they…it's not fair."

He tried to take deep breaths to calm down but found he was unable. Every time he tried it became stuck in his throat. Instead he just kept a hold on Reno, completely disregarding the fact that his partner was hovering above the ground with the height differences.

"Ryoko, Todd…Scott and Steve…"

While he was trying to find the right words to say, Reno started chuckling again. Rude kept him in his hold to keep them eye to eye.

"Is that it? Don't take it personally, Big Guy."

To say the least, Rude was surprised by Reno's words. He slowly let go of Reno resulting in him dropping to the floor and trying to catch his balance. When he did, he held up the hand that was still holding the bottle of vodka as if making sure it was still in one piece.

"It's not like I don't trust ya or somethin', 'cause I do. I mean, more so than any other partners. Just had to be sure…One left and ya can see how well that's gone over so far."

Reno swirled the liquid in the bottle a bit before taking a large swig from it and smacking his lips in satisfaction. However, his smirk seemed a bit too bitter to be the usual. Rude heaved a deep sigh as he collapsed backwards into the couch while Reno remained standing staring at the half empty bottle of liquor.

"…I shouldn't care, ya know...Ah well, that's how things are always goin'."

In a similar fashion, Reno dropped into the armchair and held the bottle out for Rude.

"If it helps any, I'm positive ya won't change."

Change what? Rude lost his motivation to pry further and the sudden irritability and anger were replaced by an even heavier tiredness. Then again, the booze was not probably helping matters. However, he still processed the words he did hear and did not know what he thought about it. He did know, though, that he felt much more at ease now. There were still unanswered questions and suspicions, but for now, he was satisfied with how things were. When he finished taking a swig of the vodka, Rude noticed that the bottle was considerably lighter now. Not caring how well his partner's coordination was, Rude tossed the bottle towards Reno who fumbled a bit, but still caught it nonetheless.

As he tiredly studied his partner, Rude noticed that Reno was still in his ratty suit. Through the buzz of alcohol, he was vaguely able to make out the reason Reno had been bleeding earlier. There was a tear in his suit jacket in a circular pattern. The gunshot Steve aimed at him ringed in Rude's head before he shook it and sighed.

"You were shot."

It came out more obvious and a little more slurred than he thought it would, but Reno understood still.

"Yeah…Did ya know I don't like getting' shot?"

"I don't either."

"No kiddin'?"

Once again, Reno tipped the bottle back and took another large gulp. There was now little left in the bottle, about one more shot worth. He swirled it around a bit before tossing it over to Rude.

"Be my guest."

"Cheers."

Rude sloppily saluted with the bottle before downing the remaining alcohol in a single go. Now that the bottle was empty, it served no more purpose, so Rude tossed it to the end of the couch. He and Reno sat in amiable silence, the kind only achieved through mutual drunkenness. However the silence was broken by Reno who chuckled, or drunkenly giggled.

"See, we had one of those, uh, things…ya, things…whuzzit called?"

"What?"

Reno now looked confused.

"What?

They both had perplexed expressions on their faces until Rude suddenly sat up straight.

"Catharisis."

Immediately after stating the word, Rude slouched into the couch again having wasted too much on that energy consuming feat. Now Reno was grinning.

"Yeah, that thing…Catharsisssss…But without all that emo, angst, cryin' thingy."

Somewhere in the back of Rude's rapidly failing mind, he wanted to mention that those three things more or less made up a cathartic event, but screw the voice of logic. It made reality suck. Rude just nodded his head like he was carrying a weight on top of it.

"Good…Cartharsis s'pposed to be good."

Reno also drunkenly nodded his head and adjusted his position so he was pressed even further into the recliner.

"Yup, also a funny word."

For some reason, of which Rude would later blame on the alcohol coursing through his veins, he found that word amusing as well. He let out a deep chuckle that quickly faded away as he gradually lost the ability to keep his eyes open. The last thing he heard was his partner mumbling as he too drifted off into a dark sleep.

"Heh…catharsis…heh…"

* * *

**A/N:** So I originally planned for this to be up when New Years rolled around. However, due to much movie watching and spinach artichoke dip, it did not get posted until late New Year's Day. Whatever. Point is, I updated. Go me. I felt sort of stupid for leaving it at that cliff hanger, if it even was a decent one. Retrospect aside, this chapter is much better written than the last one since I actually was concious this time around. :P More plot twists and drama, so I hope, abound in this chapter. And stupidity. Stupidity apparently goes hand in hand with stability. Then again, downing a bottle of vodka while exhausted and with an empty stomach and no water is a sure way to get drunk and stupid fast. ;D As for a catharsis, emotions, crying, etc. tend to go with experiencing a cathartic event. However, our good 'ole boys come off as emotionally stunted individuals (not that little side characters ever get too many emotions). So think of the catharsis as being relative and for kidnapping killers, this is probably as close to one as you'll ever get...makes you wonder what Rufus' would do during catharsis...probably go "hmph." and that would be the extent of it. ;P Okay, rambling ending now and I will finish by saying what I always say. I hope you enjoyed the story and let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, etc. Happy reading and Happy New Years!


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